Dark Side
by ArtGirlie815
Summary: Natasha finds herself in Russia with the mission to take down the Red Room once and for all. Meanwhile, Clint discovers that Natasha is, by some miracle, pregnant. Now, Clint rushes to save not only his wife, but his unborn child from the man that wants Natasha dead more than anything. Book 2 of 4 in One More Night series BlackHawk
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Welcome back!

This is the sequel to my other story _One More Night. _I extremely recommend reading that one first otherwise you will be extremely lost!

Anyways enjoy this first chapter and don't forget to review!

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Chapter 1

He was running.

Running down some hallway, searching frantically for the room Tony has told him she was in. His blood pounded in his ears as he pushed his battered body on. He had to be close.

"_To your right, Barton," _Tony called out through the earwig. He sounded out of breath, like a new wave of soldiers had appeared.

Clint skidded to a halt, turned to his right and kicked the door in.

Natasha lay crumpled in the middle of the room, her body eerily still. Clint collapsed next to her taking her body up in his arms. There was so much blood; blood everywhere he could see. He touched her neck desperately searching for a pulse, but there wasn't one. He was too late.

"Tasha," he whispered his voice thick with tears.

He ran his hand down her body to her abdomen to where their baby should be. All he found was a huge gash. He had lost both of them.

"She said you would come," Petrovitch said, his voice dripping with amusement.

Clint clenched his jaw. He brushed her matted curls out of her face and tenderly touched her bruised cheek.

"Of course I would," Clint growled keeping his head bows.

Petrovitch slowly walked around to where he stood in front of the archer.

"You ruined her," Petrovitch murmured.

"No, you did. I fixed her," Clint snapped, his body shaking with anger.

Clint watched Petrovitch shift his weight in frustration.

"The child is dead. She wasn't strong enough to survive," Petrovitch spat trying to rile Clint up.

"I rather she be dead then in your hands," Clint replied keeping is tone even.

"_Hawkeye, have you found her?" _Steve asked through the earwig.

Clint didn't respond.

"_Hawkeye! Do you copy?" _Steve continued his voice sounding desperate.

Clint leaned down and kissed Natasha gently on the lips. "I love you," he whispered before sitting back up.

He could hear Petrovitch shaking as he drew his gun.

"LOOK AT ME YOU BASTARD!" Petrovitch hissed.

Clint took a deep breath and raised his head. He met Petrovitch's gaze for a moment.

"Run, Cap," Clint said before a gun shot rang out.

Clint sat straight up in bed breathing heavily. His legs were tangled in the sweat drenched sheets. The room was still pitch black except for the red light on the alarm clock.

"I've been told it's better to just let someone finish out their nightmare, otherwise they just come back," came a voice near the door.

Clint peered into the darkness trying to determine who was in the room. Steve slowly shuffled forward into view. He was clad in loose sleep pants and a white undershirt.

"Steve," Clint breathed.

"I asked JARVIS to monitor you if that's okay. I was worried. He told me you were distressed so I came to see what was wrong," Steve explained sitting down on the foot of the bed.

Clint glanced over at the clock, "Its 3 in the morning Cap."

"I slept for 70 years, I don't sleep much now," Steve answered quietly.

Clint relaxed his shoulders a bit and sunk back onto his elbows.

"What was it about?" Steve asked.

"We found her dead," Clint mumbled.

"Well, you know that isn't true. You saw her vitals earlier today she was alive and more relaxed." Steve said.

"The baby was dead too," Clint whispered.

Steve was silent.

"Yeah, you can't tell me that it's alive," Clint grumbled.

"I know. Tony and Bruce have been tracking her though. We are trying to find her. Damn the Council. It's wrong for them to send her to Russia in the first place," Steve said.

Clint stayed silent. Steve got up and walked over to the door. "Get some sleep, Hawkeye," he said before closing the quietly.

Clint sunk back down into his pillows. He rolled over on his side and placed his hand on the empty side of the bed. It had been four long months.

Each night he was plagued by nightmares about Natasha dying in many painful and gruesome ways. He couldn't eat without feeling sick to his stomach. The images from each nightmare were burned into his skull. He could tell he had lost weight since she had left. If the others had noticed, they had decided not to mention it.

All he could think about was time was running out and they were nowhere closer to finding her.

"снова!" Petrovitch snapped as he paced behind a group of girls sparring. (Again)

Natasha sat back at the back of the gym silently observing. She could clearly remember every session she had in here, learning to fight, to defend, to kill. Now she watched these young girls learn the very same skills.

She took particular interest in one of the older girls. Her name was Anya. She was 12 years old.

Natasha watched the girl struggle to return moves after blocking her opponent. The girl lacked balance. Natasha could that Petrovitch was getting angry. The vein in his neck was bulging and his face was flushed red.

Anya lost her footing for a moment and found herself lying flat on her back with her opponent's hand wrapped around her throat. Petrovitch shoved the other girl off of Anya and yanked her up with by the collar of her shirt.

"Natalia!" Petrovitch growled. "убить ее!" (Kill her)

Natasha stayed still.

"Natalia!" Petrovitch warned turning to face her.

Natasha stiffened her shoulders and walked over to the mat. The look on Anya's face cut into Natasha's heart. The girl was terrified.

"Сэр, я не могу бороться Black Widow," Anya said softly (Sir, I cannot fight the Black widow)

"Then you will die!" Petrovitch spat in English. He nodded to Natasha who stepped forward.

Anya readied herself. Natasha kept her expression blank as she circled the girl. Anya's head whipped around, tracking Natasha's movements.

Natasha caught Anya off guard when he head was turned and swiftly knocked her to her knees with a strategic blow to the back of her knees.

Anya gasped and fell to the mat.

"Learn to listen for your attacker; do not follow them with your eyes. You create blind spots that way," Natasha said.

The other girls that had been sparring stopped to watch.

Anya scrambled back to her feet, readying herself again. The girl threw the first punch, which Natasha easily blocked with her fist. She twisted her hand and flipped the girl to where she held her arm behind her back.

Anya yelped in surprise. She struggled for a moment before turning her body back around to throw a punch at Natasha's head. The older woman ducked and released the girl's wrist. Anya stumbled back a few steps before launching herself back at Natasha.

She kicked high, towards Natasha's chest, but failed. Natasha caught her ankle and flipped her to the ground with a thud.

"You must move quicker," Natasha instructed taking a few steps back. She planted her feet firmly, "Again."

Anya growled softly as she got to her feet. She shook her arms to loosen up before advancing once more. This time she put more power into the punches she threw. Natasha could feel the girl's muscles tense with every throw.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Petrovitch smirking.

Her momentary distraction was Anya's advantage. The girl managed to get back enough to where she could launch a powerful kick to Natasha's abdomen. Natasha was able to slightly block the blow and absorb the force, but the girl's boot still came into contact with her stomach causing her to fall back in sudden pain.

She saw Petrovitch lunge at Anya. She had seen that look in his eye before and it wasn't a good one. Thinking quickly she whipped her legs around to knock Petrovitch to the mat. The other girls gasped in shock.

"Never let your opponent think you are down," Natasha said clutching her middle.

Anya nodded at her and gave her a small bow. Petrovitch made a strange noise that was between a growl and yell. He got up and grabbed a handful of Natasha's hair, yanking her head back.

"Nor do you let a damn archer poison your mind!" Petrovitch yelled shoving her to the ground.

Natasha groaned and rolled onto her knees to where she was kneeling. Petrovitch straightened his jacket and pants and turned on the girls.

"Прочь! Все вы!" He yelled. (Away, All of you)

The girls scurried off leaving Natasha with Petrovitch.

"Get up, spider," he hissed.

Natasha sucked in a deep breath before standing and following the man out of the gym. He led her back to her cell and pushed her in.

Natasha stumbled and turned to see the door slam. She sighed and crossed to her pitiful excuse for a bed. She sat down and pulled up the hem of her shirt to exam her stomach. There was a bruise beginning to form just below her rib cage that was tender to the touch.

It was certainly not the worst she had had. Clint had down more damage to her in there sparring matches. What worried her was the fact that it hurt so much. She ran her fingers along the outline of the bruise and down to the top of her black sweat pants.

There was a knock at the door that caused her to yank her shirt back down.

"Войдите," She called out. (Come in)

Two small heads poked around the door, one of which was Anya.

The other girl held a tray of food in her arms.

"мы принесли вам еду." Anya said softly. (We brought you food)

"спасибо. Вы говорите по английски?" Natasha answered. (Thank you. Do you speak English?)

"Yes, we have to," Anya answered her English heavily accented.

"Come sit, I won't hurt you," Natasha said patting the bed. The two girls cautiously sat down next to her and handed her the tray.

It was the same food she had been eating for the past month. There was fresh fruit, hearty bread, cheese, some dried meat, and water.

She nibbled on the bread and offered the fruit to the girls.

"No, you eat it. We would get in trouble if we did," Anya said shaking her head.

"I'll be fine. You two are eyeing it like you're starving," Natasha said offering the banana again.

The younger girl shook her head, "No you need it!" she exclaimed.

"What is your name?" Natasha asked taking a sip of the water, "How old are you?"

"Lida, and I'm six," the small girl answered softly.

"Okay, Lida, why do I need it? You are young and growing, I am not," Natasha said.

"But you are," Lida protested.

Natasha looked at the girls confused. Anya's eyes widened.

"What?" Natasha whispered.

"Lida, shush," Anya hissed, she made a move to leave.

"No! No don't go! What does she mean?" Natasha asked panicking.

Anya swallowed loudly, nervously glancing from the door to Natasha. Natasha tracked the girl's eyes down to her stomach. Her heart stopped.

"What does she mean?" Natasha asked again in a low voice.

Lida leaned forward and touched Natasha's abdomen, "Here," she said looking up at the red head.

"I'm pregnant?" Natasha whispered looking to Anya for confirmation

"Yes, that is why he got mad at me for kicking you," Anya explained.

Natasha choked back a sob, her hand drifting to her stomach.

Anya glanced back at the door. "We need to go, Lida," she said.

The two girls got up and walked to the door. They lingered in the doorway for a moment before Lida ran back to Natasha and wrapped her arms around her neck.

"Don't worry, we'll protect you," Lida whispered before pulling away and following Anya out the door.

Natasha took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself down. But it didn't help. The tears flooded over and her breaths turned to sobs that rocked her body. She wrapped her arms around her middle protectively.

Her mind was reeling; trying to calculate how far along she was. Her thoughts weren't coming clearly. There were too many times when she could have conceived.

Natasha moved the food tray to the floor and curled up in a ball on the bed. Her fingertips gently caressed her abdomen.

She was pregnant. They had lied to her all those years ago. Her heart broke further. She was pregnant with Clint's baby and he would most likely never know.

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A/N: Sooooo? What do think? This story is complete so I'll update regularly again (well as best as kind... you know... college and all)

REVIEWS MAKE ME HAPPY!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Happy Halloween! As a treat here is the next chapter! I was very happy with all the reviewa I got so Thank You all soooooo much! Keep it! On with the show!

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Chapter 2

Natasha woke up suddenly the next morning.

"Obviously those two told you," Petrovitch said from his chair by the door.

Natasha rubbed her eyes and sat up to look at him.

"Yes," she answered softly.

Petrovitch huffed, "They were punished accordingly."

"What did you do to them?" Natasha asked her voice dangerously low.

"Oh, you know what I did. They disobeyed direct orders, which means they get burned," Petrovitch answered with a smirk.

Natasha's stomach lurched, what little food she had eaten threatening to come up.

"You bastard," she growled.

"Your weakness is amusing, Widow. Before you would not even flinch at the idea of torture, now you turn a very unflattering shade of green." Petrovitch mocked.

"I learned to actually give a damn about human life, unlike you," she snapped back.

"Who taught you that? Your archer?" he asked.

"Yes."

Petrovitch laughed, "Love is for children. You have become as much a baby as the one you carry."

Natasha's hand drifted to her stomach protectively causing Petrovitch to smirk.

"I would assume that you would like to know what is going on with your body," he said shifting in his chair.

Natasha nodded.

"You are roughly 17 weeks along. You are being given your vitamins through your food, which you clearly did not eat. We have known about the pregnancy since we captured you. This will not be an easy pregnancy due to the fact we failed in the procedure to prevent this. It will be painful and the child may not survive. If you listen to me, if you follow all of my instructions both of your chances of survival will increase. One wrong move and I will not hesitate to have one of the girls beat you to the ground," Petrovitch explained a demented smile fixated on his face.

Natasha felt sick again. She could lose the baby if she didn't follow his orders. How much red would have to be added to her ledger for the life of her child?

"You have been lucky enough to have morning sickness. At this time, the child is undersized. You need to eat more. If not, you will kill it," Petrovitch continued as he stood up. He walked over to the door and paused. "Assassins are not supposed to be mothers. You are already failing at keeping your child healthy. How do you expect to do that after it if born, or if it is born, мой паук?" he asked mocking her.

Natasha remained silent.

"That's what I thought," Petrovitch said before closing the door and leaving her alone once again.

1 MONTH LATER

Clint shuffled over to the dead guard and yanked his arrow out of his chest. He wiped the bloody tip off on his pants and sheathed it in his quiver.

"We make a good team, Hawkeye," Steve said joining the arches in retrieving arrows.

The two had skillfully taken down an entire warehouse of guards that had been protecting a supply of HYDRA weapons. The weapons had already been picked by S.H.I.E.L.D. already and all that was left was clean up and extraction.

Clint gave the Captain a weak smile. He knew Steve was trying to help him. The company was nice, he had to admit.

"I know I'm not as good as Natasha or as hot," Steve joked, elbowing Clint.

Clint laughed, "You're different then her, but we work well together. Plus I really don't want to see you in a skin tight leather suit either, Cap."

Steve laughed and handed Clint the arrows he held and adjusted his shield on his back.

"_Okay, boys come outside. We're here,"_ Coulson said through the earwigs.

The two Avengers boarded the Quinjet that was waiting outside and strapped themselves in.

"So how'd we do?" Clint asked Phil as he folded up his bow.

"You two did great. Stark is jealous, Fury is impressed and so am I," Phil answered.

Clint rolled his eyes, "Any word on Natasha?"

"She's in the Red Room for sure. Banner said her vitals are stable. He's a little concerned with her blood pressure, but it's supposed to raise some due to her condition," Phil answered keeping her pregnancy out of the conversation because of the pilot.

Clint nodded and turned his attention to the bloodied arrows. For the rest of the flight he meticulously cleaned the tips, trying to distract his mind.

Once back at Stark tower, he avoided the rest of the Avengers and went straight to his floor. He tossed his bow case and quiver on the floor next to the door and collapsed on the couch. He toed off his boots and propped his feet up on the coffee table. He lazily turned on the TV and began to flip through the channels.

As usual, nothing was appealing. He settled on Disney Channel. The show that he had come to learn was called Phineas and Ferb was on. For some reason he found the show amusing, with all the underlying humor.

He sat up and shrugged off his tactical vest and unblocked his thigh holsters. He grabbed an apple from the bowl on the coffee table and took a bite as he settled back into the cushions.

He was jarred from his comfort by his phone vibrating in his pocket. He glanced at the caller ID, but the number was blocked.

"Barton," he answered his mouth full of apple.

"_Clint? Is that you?"_ came Natasha's voice.

Clint nearly choked. He swallowed quickly and muted the TV.

"Tasha? How the hell are you contacting me?" he asked.

"_I snuck into the communication room while Petrovitch wasn't looking. I needed to talk to you,"_ she said quickly her voice unsteady.

"What's wrong? Tell me where you are and I'll come get you," Clint said leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees.

"_No you can't come get me, the Council would kill you. I'm already breaking protocol by calling you,"_ Natasha answered.

"What's wrong, Tasha?" Clint urged her on.

He heard her make a strangled noise that sounded like a sob.

"_I miss you,"_ she said her voice thick with tears.

Clint sighed, "I miss you, too. I love you so much."

He heard her sob more.

"_You're going to need to destroy this number once I hang up,"_ she choked out.

"You know I will. I'll go to the other number okay?" he said softly. His heart clenched as he heard her cry. He wanted nothing more than to be there, holding her.

"_Clint?"_ she sobbed.

"I'm here."

"_I'm pregnant,"_ she sobbed.

Clint blinked his eyes furiously, trying to prevent the tears that had formed from falling.

"I know, Nat. Bruce and Tony found out from the tracker. I've been watching you ever since you left." Clint said.

"_I don't know what to do,"_ Natasha breathed.

"Just stay alive, okay? We're coming up with a plan to come get you. Just stay alive," he replied.

"_I can do that,"_ she whispered.

He heard a loud bang in the background. "Natasha?" he called out in panic.

"_I'm okay, but I need to go. I love you so much, Clint. I'm going to keep this baby alive, okay?"_ Natasha said quickly.

"Okay, I know you can. You are so strong. I love you, too Tasha," Clint replied his heartbeat speeding up.

"_I have to go," _she said quickly_. "I'll see you soon."_

"I'll see you soon, Tasha," he said before the line went dead.

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A/N: itty bitty cliffhanger :) Dont forget to Review!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: And here is the next chapter :) I love love love my reviewers!

Ok just hang with me in this chapter. I have never been pregnant so I don't know exactly how everything goes. i have done tons of research though and talked to my cousin who has a baby to try and get the details as accurate as possible.

Nor have I ever gotten my arm dislocated... I just imagined that one...

Anyways enjoy and feedback is always appreciated.

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Chapter 3

Natasha winced at the burlap sack was yanked off of her head. Petrovitch stood before her, his face beet red. As soon as her eyes focused, he back handed her.

Natasha could feel the skin on her cheek split open and blood seep down her face.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?" Petrovitch yelled.

Natasha stayed quiet.

Petrovitch growled and grabbed a fist full of her hair, yanking her head back. Natasha gave him a smile. The man yelled and pushed her to the ground. He paced angrily in front of the cell door, muttering to himself in Russian.

He turned back towards her and pulled her back up. He twisted her arm behind her painfully.

"Who did you call?" he hissed in her ear.

"Go to hell," she said through her clenched jaw.

Petrovitch pulled hard on her arm, a sickening crack echoed throughout the room. Natasha yelled out in pain, her entire arm feeling like it had burst into flame.

Petrovitch pushed her down again and turned to the guard. "Find the number she called."

"That won't do you any good," Natasha groaned cradling her dislocated arm.

"You can't protect him forever," Petrovitch growled.

"Yes, I can," she whispered. Petrovitch hissed and kicked her hard in her injured shoulder.

Natasha cried out once more and watched his blurry form leave. She slowly crawled up onto her new bed and propped herself up against the wall. She knew they had moved her. She could hear the sounds of the truck that transported her and voices of the other girls. She knew that Anya and Lida where there too.

She let her head rest against the cold stone. She closed her eyes and attempted to shift her shoulder, but it only caused her more pain.

She heard the door close with a soft click causing her to open her eyes.

Anya stood by the door with her hands clasped in front of her. Natasha had never gotten a chance to fully taken in the girl's looks. She was a beautiful young woman, which was not surprising seeing that had been a reason Petrovitch had chosen her. She had medium length brown hair that was dead straight. Her blue eyes were intense and captivating. She still had some of her baby fat around her face, which made her look even more like a child. She wore a black jumpsuit that was similar to her cat suit and calf high boots.

"Are you okay?" she asked stepping forward.

"I'll be fine," Natasha mumbled shifting her weight.

"You're bleeding," the girl said softly. "And your arm…"

"Can you help me put it back?" Natasha asked. She felt bad for asking her to do such a thing, but without her arm she couldn't fight back.

Anya quietly nodded.

"Okay, I need you to pull hard when I say to," Natasha instructed as the girl sat down on the bed and took hold of her wrist.

Natasha took a deep breath, "Now."

Anya pulled hard and popped Natasha's arm cleanly back into place. Natasha yelped in pain and pulled her arm away once it was back.

She opened her eyes to see Anya sitting her eyes glassy with unshed tears.

"I'm okay, you didn't hurt me," Natasha reassured her.

"He's sending me out," Anya whispered.

"To do what?" Natasha asked already knowing the answer.

"I have to take down an old KGB operative," Anya replied.

A silence fell over the two. Natasha could remember the first time she killed someone. She had been about the same age as Anya. She could still feel the way the man's neck had snapped in her hands.

"Natalia, I'm not ready," Anya said quietly. A few tears trickled down the girl's cheek.

Natasha leaned forward and wiped them away.

"No, you are. You are strong," Natasha said letting her hand linger on her cheek.

Anya's eyes met Natasha's for a moment. The girl lunged forward and buried her face in the red head's shoulder. Natasha was taken off guard by the action. She wrapped her arms comfortingly around the girl's small body and rubbed small circles on her back; much like Clint did when trying to calm her. She could feel tears soak through the shirt that she wore, breaking her heart.

"I know it's hard. I will not lie to you; I have never forgotten the first person I killed. But you learn to cope…to move on…to forgive yourself for what you did," Natasha said in the girl's ear.

She could feel Anya curl up against her body seeking further comfort. She held her close, wishing that she didn't have to go through this. She felt what she thought was Anya's hand move across her stomach softly, until the girl pulled away suddenly. Both of them looked down at her stomach in shock.

Natasha had to admit that she had gained some weight since she had left New York and there was a small bump beginning to show.

"Did you feel that?" Anya asked looking up at her.

"Yes," Natasha breathed. She placed her hand across her stomach and waited.

Sure enough there was a flutter underneath her fingers. The two of them laughed. Natasha grabbed Anya's hand and placed it where hers had been. There was another small flutter that caused Anya to break out in a huge grin.

"It's okay," Anya said smiling at Natasha.

"Yeah, it is," Natasha replied. Her heart dropped slightly. This was something that she should be sharing with Clint.

"What's wrong?" Anya asked.

"I just wish the father could feel this," Natasha whispered.

"The archer?" Anya asked. Natasha replied with a nod. "Tell me about him."

"Why?" Natasha asked raising an eyebrow.

"You're a hero among the girls. You got out of here alive and found another life. It gives us all hope." She explained.

"You all will come with me when I leave," Natasha said.

"Really?" the girl asked perking up.

"Yes, I promise."

Anya smiled, "Tell me about him."

"His name is Clint. We have been partners ever since he convinced me to leave this place."

"How did he convince you?"

"He gave be a better offer than what Petrovitch was offering. S.H.I.E.L.D. is safer and more appealing."

"Is he cute?" Anya asked.

Natasha laughed, "Yes. He has short dirty blonde hair and muscles from years of using a bow. He is a few inches taller than me, but not too tall. He has amazing grey eyes that I could get lost in for hours. He understands what I have been through like no other person I have met. He makes me feel safe. He knows how to make me laugh when I don't think I can."

"He sounds nice."

"You would like him. It's hard not to," Natasha said smiling warmly at the girl.

"I hope I get to meet him." Anya said.

"You will," Natasha assured her.

"I have to go. I'll come back when I'm done, okay?" Anya said standing up.

"Just stay alive and don't get in trouble," Natasha said.

"I will. Thank you, Natalia." Anya whispered. She gave the red head small hug and kissed her fingertips and pressed them to Natasha's abdomen. "Watch your mom, малютка," she said before quietly slipping out the door. (little one)


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Sorry this update is a little behind schedule. I've been dealing with some family issues that come first.

Ok to my reviewers that are a little concerned about Anya... DONT BE! :) she's a good girl! I promise!

On with the show! Don't forget to review!

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Chapter 4

Natasha felt as if she were losing her mind. She nibbled on her food trying to distract herself from thinking about Anya. There was always a chance that the girl would not return. It sickened her.

Natasha got up from her bed and paced nervously across her room. If she had been keeping track of time correctly, then Anya had been gone for five hours. From the small window at the top of her cell, Natasha could tell it was getting late.

Part of her did not understand her sudden and severe worry for the girl. Maybe it was the fact she didn't want to see another child die because of this program.

She sighed and lay back down in her bed. She lay on her side and pulled the poor excuse of a blanket up. Lazily, she drew circles on her abdomen; over the spot she had felt the baby move earlier. There was a small shift that she felt on the inside, which made her smile.

"We're in this together, little one," Natasha whispered feeling a little silly talking to thin air.

She closed her eyes and tried to imagine what it would be like if she were back home; home being Stark Tower. Clint would probably be everywhere, doing everything. Even though she wasn't far along, he would insist on doing everything for her. An annoying as it would be, his enthusiasm would be cute.

Pepper would most likely go overboard on the shopping. Tony would have never ending jokes about the baby being a bird-spider hybrid. Steve would be quiet, yet excited too. Bruce would be her doctor because she would refuse to go to hospitals. Thor probably wouldn't know what to do. She would be afraid he'd bring a giant pig for a feast in her honor.

As crazy as the Tower would be, it would be nice. At night, Clint would hold her as she fell asleep; whispering sweet things to her and the baby. And as her stomach grew, he would accommodate for her; always making sure she was comfortable. Clint would make an amazing father.

Natasha felt a few tears trickled down her cheek. She made no move to wipe them away, it wasn't like anyone could see her cry.

Her scenario was too perfect.

She closed her eyes tightly trying to keep the tears from falling. She wrapped her arm around her middle, wincing slightly from the pain radiating from her shoulder. She could tell that the lights had gone out from behind her closed eyes, signaling that it was midnight. Silently, she prayed to a god that she didn't believe in that Anya would make it back safe, as sleep began to pull her down into its dark embrace.

She was jarred awake by a touch on her forearm. She defensively reached under her pillow for where she normally kept her gun, but then remembered where she was. She let her eyes adjust to the darkness and focused in on the figure that had sunk back against the farthest wall.

"Anya?" she whispered her voice raspy from sleep. Her throat screamed at her, begging for some type of hydration. She quickly took a sip of her water that sat on the floor, before turning back to her visitor.

"Anya, is that you?" Natasha asked sitting up.

"Da," the girl replied in Russian.

"Come closer, I can't see you," Natasha said swinging her legs over the side of the bed.

The girl slowly stepped forward, the moonlight catching her features. Natasha frowned. Anya had a relatively large gash on her hair line that was slowly seeping blood. There was a cut along her left cheek, evidence that she had been punched in the face. She walked towards the bed with a slight limp on her right side.

"Sit down," Natasha ordered, motioning to the bed.

Anya followed her orders and silently sat down. Natasha got up and crossed over to the sink that sat in the corner. She wet the rag that was draped over the corner and turned back to Anya. She knelt down in front of the girl and reached up to dab her cheek.

Anya pulled away, "I shouldn't have come here."

"No, you made the right choice. Please let me help you," Natasha said touching the girl's knee.

Anya turned back to Natasha and allowed her to clean up the wounds on her face. Once finished, Natasha tossed the rag back into the sink and sat down near the top of the bed.

"Let me see your leg," Natasha said tapping Anya's shoulder.

Anya leaned back against the wall and propped her leg up for Natasha. Carefully, Natasha rolled up the girl's pants leg to reveal a large bruise forming on her knee.

"There's not much I can do for that. You just need to keep off it when you can," Natasha explained.

Anya silently nodded and readjusted her pants leg.

"Why have you not asked whether I succeeded or not?" Anya asked softly.

Natasha sighed, "Because it makes no difference to me. I am just glad you are alive."

"I did it though. I killed the man," Anya whispered. She stared down at her hands that had begun to shake.

Natasha took the girl's hands in her own. "Hey, you're okay."

"I can see all of it even when I close my eyes. I can't erase the image, Natalia. It won't go away," Anya exclaimed.

"I know, I know," Natasha whispered pulling the girl into her arms. She gently stroked her hair as she sobbed softly into Natasha's shoulder. Slowly she shifted their bodies to where they were laying down against the pillow.

Anya curled up into Natasha's side desperately clinging to her.

"Shh…it's okay. It's okay. Just sleep. I'll be right here," Natasha whispered into Anya's hair.

"спасибо," Anya mumbled. (Thank You).

Natasha squeezed the girl slightly and closed her eyes. The extra body was comforting. And for the first time since she had arrived, the nightmares stayed at bay.

The first sound she heard was a yelp.

Natasha's eyes flew open to see Anya being ripped out of her arms and flung across the room by Petrovitch.

"Вы жалкие суки!" Petrovitch snapped grabbing a handful of Anya's hair. (You pathetic little bitch)

Anya yelped again as she was slammed into the hard ground.

"HEY! She did her job! Leave her alone!" Natasha yelled getting to her feet.

Petrovitch turned to the red head, his eye blazing and vein pulsing. He wrapped his thick hand around Natasha's neck and squeezed as he lifted off her feet. He slammed her body into the nearest wall and held her just high enough to where her feet would not touch the ground.

Natasha gasped for air and crawled at the man's hand.

"THIS IS NOT YOUR PLACE! YOU WANT TO INTERFERE? THEN YOU GET HER PUNISHMENT AS WELL!" Petrovitch bellowed.

"отпусти ее!" Anya sobbed from her place on the ground. (Let her go!)

Petrovitch released his grasp allowing Natasha to fall to the floor sputtering and gasping as air returned to her lungs. He turned to the guards and motioned for them to grab both girls.

Natasha blinked away the tears that had formed in the corner of her eyes as she was dragged out of the cell and down to one of the meeting rooms. She knew this would be a public affair. Rarely had Petrovitch punished anyone in solitary, even if the punishment was rape. She would know.

She was flung down next to Anya who was a wreck. The girl could not hide the fear that had taken over her.

Natasha could see that the other girls had already gathered in the room and were silently waiting. She could see Lida trying to bury her face into one of the other girl's arm.

"You should never know weakness! Compassion is a weakness that will get you killed!" Petrovitch hissed motioning to where Anya and Natasha lie.

He motioned to two of the guards to grab Anya. They yanked her up to a kneeling position facing the girls. Natasha watched another guard hand Petrovitch a leather bullwhip. Natasha's stomach sank so quickly that she feared she would throw up. She could feel the baby shift quickly inside her, almost as if it was turning away.

The first blow Petrovitch delivered to Anya's back was hard enough to rip the fabric of her shirt. Immediately a nasty welt appeared against the girl's pearly skin. The second blow was just as harsh and just as painful to watch. It was the third blow, when Natasha's brain finally caught up with her.

She launched herself forward and tackled Petrovitch around the knees, pulling him to the ground away from Anya. She heard the other girls gasp in shock as she expertly pinned him to the ground. She stared down at him.

A small stream of blood flowed from his nose where his face had collided with the floor.

"Ah, мой паук, you made a wrong move," he whispered, his sickening smirk creeping up onto his features.

Natasha pressed down harder on his wrists and calves with her body, "And what is that?" she growled.

"You forgot to protect your weaknesses," he said slowly, his eyes flickering downward.

She didn't move fast enough. Petrovitch brought his knee up from under her leg and kneed her sharply in the abdomen. Natasha cried out and rolled off of him clutching her stomach.

Petrovitch got up and wiped the blood from his nose. He nodded to the guards to pick Natasha up and retrieved the whip from a few feet away.

The guards forced Natasha up and into the same position that Anya had been in.

"Like I said, compassion will kill you," Petrovitch hissed before bringing the whip down across Natasha's back causing her to black out.

She came to a while later in her room. Her back screamed in pain. She could feel the blood soaking through her shirt. She shifted on the cold floor and groaned; a warmth spreading between her legs. Her heart froze.

"No! No, No, No!" she said frantically feeling in between her legs. She brought her hand back up finding more blood on her fingertips. She wrapped her arms around her middle a sob escaping her.

"Don't leave me, please don't leave me," Natasha whispered.

The door opened and revealed Anya and Lida. Anya collapsed next to Natasha shaking.

"Lida get the cloth," Anya said. The little girl quickly wet the cloth that sat on the sink and brought it back to Anya.

She gently began to wipe some of the blood away from Natasha's back. "Your shirt…it needs to come off, Natalia. Lida go get a spare quickly."

Natasha whimpered as Anya peeled the shirt away from her bloodied body. Anya wiped the blood away trying to ignore the small cries from Natasha. Lida returned with an entire new outfit clutched in her fist.

"You shouldn't have taken that for me," Anya whispered.

"I could take it, you didn't deserve that," Natasha croaked.

"You're bleeding," Anya said.

"That's what whipping usually results to," Natasha replied avoiding the actual meaning of the statement.

"No, you're _bleeding,_" Anya emphasized.

"I'm okay," Natasha said.

"No, you're not… the baby," Anya continued.

"I'm okay," Natasha whispered trying to believe it herself.

Anya finished cleaning up Natasha and helped her slip her shirt on. The two girls helped her to her bed.

Natasha lay on her side, her hand drifting to her abdomen. She closed her eyes praying for some type of movement, but there was nothing.

"Natalia," Lida whispered touching the red head's hand.

"You two better go, I don't want you two to get in any more trouble." Natasha said.

Lida sniffled and leaned down and kissed Natasha's abdomen. "You have to be okay, птичка." (Little Bird)

"птичка? Why?" Natasha asked. (little bird)

"Because of your Hawk, this is your птичка," Lida explained. (Little Bird)

Natasha laughed a little. The girls left the room leaving her alone.

"Please, my little bird, just let mommy know you are okay," Natasha whispered tears beginning to fall again.

She stroked her belly ignoring the dull pain. She muttered _please, please, please _over and over hoping it could hear her.

Natasha wiped away a few tears. "Please, little one. I need you. Clint needs you."

There was a small flutter underneath her fingertips. She choked back a small sob.

"Just stay with me, I love you," Natasha whispered drifting into sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: wow all the reviews so fast! I am really happy! So as a reward to my lovely readers I decided to update earlier then planned :)

okay in this chapter there is a time jump so just hang in there!

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Chapter 5

2.5 months later

"Let's go," Tony said suddenly over breakfast one day.

"Go where?" Bruce sighed nursing his coffee. It was just the two men this morning. Cap and Hawkeye were off doing debriefing their last mission with Fury.

"To get Natasha, this is killing Barton. The man is wasting away," Tony exclaimed.

"Wasting away?"

"Yes! Don't act like you haven't noticed that he has lost weight. It's not healthy." Tony explained shoving his dirty dish into the dishwasher.

"We need a plan, Tony. This isn't a situation we can just run into. We don't know what we are up against." Bruce said running a hand through his hair.

"Then let's plan." Tony said slapping the counter.

"I'm assuming this planning involves some form of hacking?" Bruce asked getting up as Tony walked away towards his lab.

"You know me too well, Banner." Tony smirked.

Natasha gently stroked her swollen belly. The baby was still too small for its age, but according to the reports for Petrovitch, it was healthy.

She felt bad about calling the baby an it. The other girls had lovingly decided that the baby was a girl. The baby's very presence gave them all hope; hope Natasha wished she could share in.

The thought that Petrovitch wanted her baby gnawed at the back of her mind every waking moment.

The baby kicked softly against Natasha's hand, pulling her out of her thoughts. She caressed the spot and smiled.

"Good morning, my little bird." She whispered. She got another soft kick in response.

Her morning meal had already come and gone, however hunger gnawed at her. The portions of food had never changed and now it was never enough. She was afraid that she was starving not only herself, but the baby as well.

There was an urgent knock at the door followed by Lida and Anya bursting into the room.

"Quick, Petrovitch is gone for an hour!" Anya exclaimed grabbing Natasha's hand.

"Hold on! What are we doing?" Natasha asked slowly getting to her feet.

"You can call Clint!" Anya exclaimed excitedly.

Natasha's eyes light up and allowed herself to be pulled out of the room.

Once in the communication room that the three of them had located, Natasha hastily dialed a number she knew that Clint would answer.

The phone rung three times before there was answer.

"_Barton,"_

"Clint! It's me!" Natasha breathed into the phone.

"_Tasha! Are you okay?"_ he asked panic laced in his tone.

"I'm okay, we both are," Natasha said.

"_You both are?"_ Clint whispered.

"Yes, both of us are." Natasha said.

"_We're going to come get you. I don't give a rat's ass about the council,"_ Clint said.

"You better make room for extras too. I'm not leaving these girls, Clint," Natasha said.

Clint laughed, _"Okay, we can do that."_

Natasha laughed and felt the baby kick hard against her ribs.

"She kicked, Clint. Just now," Natasha whispered.

She could hear Clint take a deep breath. _"So you think it's a girl? I wish I could feel that,"_ he replied softly.

"I wish you could too, my Hawk." Natasha said choking back tears.

"_How much time do you have?"_ he asked softly.

"I still have some time," she replied touching her belly where the baby shifted again.

"_Can I talk to her?"_ Clint asked, his voice broken.

"Yeah, sure," Natasha said softly. She lowered the phone to her stomach near the spot where she could feel the baby's head.

She could barely hear what Clint was saying.

"_Hey, my girl. I don't know what to say. I just want you to know that I love you. I love you so much, you and your mom."_ Clint croaked.

Natasha brought the phone back up to her ear, tears now streaming down her face.

"I love you so much, Clint," She sobbed.

"_I love you too. Just hang in there. We are coming for you."_ Clint said obviously crying himself.

"I have to go. I know you'll find me, my Hawk." Natasha said.

"_I will always find you,"_ Clint whispered before the line went dead.

Natasha placed the phone back down on the receiver and turned to the girls.

"Thank you so much," she whispered, wiping away her tears.

The two girls beamed at her. The three silently crept back to Natasha's cell and piled on her tiny bed. Ever since the whipping, it had become a routine for both Anya and Lida to retreat to Natasha's cell. Natasha had come to love the girls very much; as if they were her own.

Both girls enjoyed their visits. Natasha would help them practice their English as well as French, Spanish, Italian, and German. While they talked Natasha would either coach them though sparring moves or on occasion braid their hair. Today seemed to be a braiding day.

Lida crawled in front of Natasha and turned her back to her. Natasha gathered the small girl's long platinum locks in her hands and gently combed out the knots.

"Was he happy?" Anya asked fiddling with the corner of the blanket.

"Very much so," Natasha answered smiling warmly at her.

She split Lida's hair into two sections and began to fish tail braid.

"Did you mean what you said?" Lida asked tilting her head back to look at Natasha.

"What do you mean?" Natasha asked raising an eyebrow.

"That you would take us with you," Lida replied, he beautiful blue eye sparkling.

"Yes, I meant every word. Now tilt your head back down, мышь," Natasha said giving the girl's hair a playful tug. (Mouse)

Lida giggled and obeyed. Natasha had taken to calling Lida мышь, or mouse, because of her behavior. The girl could scurry so quickly and quietly from place to place. She wouldn't bite her food; instead she would nibble at it savoring each crumb. It was all cute.

"How is the птичка today?" Anya asked fiddling with her ponytail now. (Little bird)

"She is awake for sure," Natasha laughed as if on cue the baby rolled over. "I'm done, мышь," she said tapping Lida's shoulder. The braid had dramatically shortened the girl's long hair.

Lida turned around and placed her two small hands on Natasha's belly. Natasha smiled and guided the girl's hands to the top of her belly where the baby's feet were and where the movement could be more clearly felt.

The baby kicked softly as if she were acknowledging the new presence. Lida giggled and leaned forward giving Natasha's belly a quick kiss.

"She moves a lot when you two are here. She likes you two," Natasha said.

"Well, we like her too!" Lida exclaimed.

Natasha laughed, "And I like you two, too!"

She caught the small girl off guard and began to tickle her. Lida squealed and tried to wiggle out of the red head's reach but failed. Anya joined in in the laughter as she stood up.

"Not so fast!" Natasha exclaimed grabbing her and pulled her back onto the bed. She tickled both squirming and giggling girls mercilessly. The laughter was like music; a sweet rare melody in a place with so much pain and sadness.

There was a sudden sharp cramp in Natasha's lower back causing her to stop. She rubbed the spot trying to dull the pain.

Once Anya caught her breath she looked up at her concerned.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Just too much excitement, I guess," Natasha answered smiling at them. "You two better get going before he gets back."

The two girls nodded and reluctantly crawled off the bed. They gave her a small wave before disappearing behind the closed door.

The smile instantly fell from Natasha's face once she was alone. The pain had subsided slowly once her heart rate had calmed. She stroked her belly softly, trying to suppress the worry that was now growing inside.

Clint dropped his quiver and bow on the meeting table back in Stark Tower. It had been a long day and all he wanted to do was shower and go to bed. There was a dull ache at the base of his skull where one of the target's men had hit him.

Steve walked up and placed his shield next to the bow. "Another good mission," he said patting Clint on the back.

"Yep, we did good Cap," Clint chuckled.

"Sirs, Mr. Stark would like you to join him in the lab," JARVIS announced.

"Thanks, JARVIS," Steve replied. "Let's go see what he wants."

Clint rolled his eyes and joined Steve in the elevator. They exited on Tony's floor and walked to the lab.

"And so the Hawk and Soldier return!" Tony called out his nose buried in some file.

Bruce nodded in the men's direction, giving them a weak smile.

"What's up, Stark?" Steve asked taking a seat on one of the stools.

"I don't know about you two, but I'm tired of sitting around waiting for something bad to happen." Tony said looking up.

"What do you mean?" Clint asked leaning up against one of the tables.

"He's talking about Natasha," Bruce said.

"Has something happened?" Clint asked quickly, his body tensing up.

"She's had some spikes in heart rate and her BP is really beginning to worry me," Bruce replied calmly.

"Screw the Council, screw Fury, let's go get her," Tony said slapping down the file.

"I'm not sure Fury would like to hear that," Coulson said as he walked in.

"Do I look like I care?" Tony replied.

"When do you care what Fury thinks? Phil what's up?" Clint asked.

"I brought the Quinjet that Mr. Stark requested," Coulson replied.

"Okay, slow down. Do you even have a plan Stark? Or are we just running off into the middle of God knows where in Russia in the thick of winter?" Steve said.

"Well the second one sounds pretty right," Tony quipped.

Clint hunched his shoulders preparing for the inevitable bickering that was about to occur. He felt his pocket begin to vibrate causing him to sigh in relief. He retrieved his phone and flicked it open.

"Barton," he said answered.

"_Clint! It's me!"_ he heard Natasha breathe into the phone.

"Tasha! Are you okay?" he asked panic laced in his tone.

Tony and Steve immediately stopped speaking. Clint wave them away frantically and began to walk towards the back part of the lab for privacy.

"_I'm okay, we both are,"_ Natasha said.

"You both are?" Clint whispered looking to Phil for a moment.

Phil smiled at him and gave him an encouraging nod.

"_Yes, both of us are."_ Natasha said.

"We're going to come get you. I don't give a rat's ass about the council," Clint said rubbing the back of his neck in attempt to relieve the tension.

"_You better make room for extras too. I'm not leaving these girls, Clint," _Natasha said.

Clint laughed, "Okay, we can do that." He had figured Natasha would try to rescue the other girls as well.

Natasha laughed, making his heart flutter. He hadn't realized how much he had missed the sound.

"_She kicked, Clint. Just now,"_ Natasha whispered.

Clint took a deep breath. The baby kicked…his baby and he couldn't be there. "So you think it's a girl? I wish I could feel that," he replied softly his vision beginning to blur. He liked the idea of the baby being a girl.

"_I wish you could too, my Hawk."_ Natasha said choking back tears.

"How much time do you have?" he asked softly an idea suddenly coming to mind.

"_I still have some time,"_ she replied.

"Can I talk to her?" Clint asked, his voice broken. He had read somewhere that it was good to talk you your unborn child. It had said something along the lines that the sound of the your voice helped the baby better identify who was safe.

"_Yeah, sure,"_ Natasha said softly. He could hear her shift the phone down.

Clint took a deep breath and turned his back to the other guys. "Hey, my girl. I don't know what to say… I just want you to know that I love you. I love you so much, you and your mom." Clint croaked. He paused hoping that Natasha had heard what he had said.

"_I love you so much, Clint,"_ She sobbed answering his hope.

"I love you too. Just hang in there. We are coming for you." Clint said tears now freely following down his stumbled cheeks. He frantically attempted to wipe them away.

"_I have to go. I know you'll find me, my Hawk."_ Natasha said.

"I will always find you," Clint whispered before the line went dead. He stared at the phone for a moment, his hand shaking slightly.

He felt a hand come to rest on his shoulder causing him to flinch. He turned to see that the hand belonged to Phil.

"They're both alive," he croaked meeting his handler's gaze.

"Let's go save your family," Phil replied squeezing the archer's shoulder reassuringly.

The two men turned back to the others.

"We're going to need supplies," Clint said wiping away the remainder of the tears.

"Yeah! Operation Itsy Bitsy Spider is on!" Tony exclaimed.

"She's still pregnant, Bruce." Clint said turning to the doctor.

"I can handle that. I'll bring my portable ultrasound and some other things." Bruce said.

"Some other things?" Steve asked.

"If by some chance she goes into labor, I want to be prepared. It is a high possibility that she might considering how far along she is. Typically a woman is on bed rest at this time," Bruce explained.

Steve nodded, "Let's get going then, men."

Clint's heart pounded in his chest so hard it hurt. She was okay, they both were okay. Now all that stood between him and Natasha was a large amount of snow, land and water, which seemed like nothing now.

"I only have one request," Clint spoke up getting the other's attention. "I get to kill Petrovitch."

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A/N: you guys didnt really think i'd make her miscarry? Thats just mean...lol. AVENGERS TO THE RESCUE!

Remember more reviews means I'll update faster!


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: oh the reviews! You guys make me so happy :)

this chapter is a tense one... Natasha is basically having to relive everything she went through with Petrovitch through Anya.

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Chapter 6

Natasha's back ached. At first it had been dull and bearable, but now it was getting annoying. The baby seemed to be just as uncomfortable. All night, she would roll around nudging Natasha's ribs or bladder causing her to wake up.

"птичка, please let me sleep." Natasha murmured touching her belly where the baby kicked. She got another kick in response causing her to sigh in defeat.

The baby hadn't settled down since Clint had talked to her. It was as if she knew that he was coming for them.

Natasha sat up and propped herself up against the wall. She rolled up her shirt and traced the stretch marks that sprawled over her skin. It was going to be a while before she wore a bikini again.

There was an urgent knock at her door.

"Come in," she called out.

The cell door flung open and slammed shut quickly. Lida pressed her body flush up against the metal, her chest rising rapidly with her heavy breathing.

"Lida, what happened?" Natasha asked jumping up as quick as her belly would allow.

Lida let out a strangled cry and buried her face in Natasha's neck as the red head knelt down. Natasha rubbed her back soothingly.

"Lida, tell me what happened," Natasha said stroking the small girl's hair.

"He… he… he touched her!" Lida sobbed.

"Who did he touch?" Natasha asked her voice panicky. She knew what Lida meant by "touch".

"Anya… he touched her…she was screaming…I didn't know what to do!" Lida cried tugging at her two pigtails Natasha had done earlier.

Natasha felt bile rise in her throat. She swallowed desperate to keep what little food she had down.

"That's it," she growled standing up.

"No! He'll hurt you! He'll hurt the baby!" Lida exclaimed wrapping herself around Natasha's legs.

"He won't hurt the baby; he wants her." Natasha said in a low voice. She pulled Lida off of her legs and crossed to the door. She walked quickly down the hall easily taking out the two guards, despite her belly, that stood by the door that led to Petrovitch. She grabbed one of their staffs and held it at the ready in her right hand as she burst into the room.

Anya lay on the mat in a crumpled mass, her body shaking with sobs. She knelt down next to the girl scanning her body. Her shirt and pants were torn and there was evidence of blood in between her thighs.

Natasha's eyes swam with tears, memories of her own past coming to mind. She tenderly touched Anya's shoulder causing the girl to flinch away.

"It's me," she whispered.

Anya looked up at Natasha, relief washing over her. Natasha gathered the broken girl up in her arms and stood up. She knew that she should not be carrying anything this late in her pregnancy, but she couldn't leave her there.

The baby seemed to understand what was going on. It shifted further back in her abdomen, like it was making room for Anya.

Natasha carried Anya back to her room, Lida trailing at her heels. The other girls she passed gave her horrified looks, each one understanding what had happened.

Once back in her cell, Natasha gently laid Anya down on the bed. Lida came up next to her, the familiar wet cloth in hand. Natasha nodded and began to clean up Anya.

"Can you get her some clothes?" Natasha whispered to Lida. The girl nodded and slipped quietly out of the room. She returned by the time Natasha had cleaned her up completely.

"I need you to sit up so you can put on a new shirt okay?" Natasha said softly.

Anya obeyed and allowed Natasha to pull the shirt down on her. It was if the girl was in a trance. Her eyes were blank and emotionless. It was frightening. Once she was dressed completely, Natasha drew her up in her arms. She placed a kiss on the top of the girl's head.

"I am so sorry," She mumbled against Anya's scalp, wishing she could take the pain away.

Behind them the door swung open, slamming against the wall.

Petrovitch stormed in and ordered Lida away. He ripped Anya out of Natasha's arms and on to the floor. The girl remained silent.

Petrovitch turned to Natasha. He pushed her down onto the bed and straddled her legs. He bent down over her; the stench of his vodka laced breath caused her stomach to flip. He ran his hands up and down her sides, lingering on breasts. He gave them a painful squeeze that was amplified by their already sensitive state.

Natasha gasped and closed her eyes tight. She felt his hands drift lower and stop on her belly.

"Look at me, паук," he whispered, his tone making her blood run cold. (Spider)

Natasha reluctantly opened her eyes and stared up at the monster above her.

"If it were not for this, I would have you in every way." He whispered smirking at her. His hands drifted lower to her hips before beginning inward.

Natasha quickly kneed him in the groin resulting in him flopping to the ground.

Petrovitch growled and turned to Anya. "Чтобы ваш номер, шлюха!" he yelled. (To your room, slut)

Anya scrambled to her feet and fled the room.

"Mark my words, Natalia. You will not have that baby to protect you much longer." Petrovitch hissed. He slammed the door shut.

Natasha quickly scrambled to the sink and emptied the contents of her stomach. There was only one man…one…that touched her like that. She felt disgusting. Her mind turned back to Anya causing her to retch again. The girl was only twelve…twelve. She was only a girl.

The pain in her back returned suddenly causing her to collapse onto the cold floor. She curled up as best as she could, sobs bubbling up. She couldn't take this much longer.

* * *

"Okay, we are closing in on the coordinates," Phil said through the comm link.

"Roger that," Clint replied readying his bow and slinging his quiver across his back.

Steve grabbed his shield and Tony flipped down his mask. Coulson landed the jet smoothly and opened the back door.

"Good luck," he said turning to see the guys.

Clint nodded and jogged lightly out of the jet and into the foot of snow. He silently followed Steve around to the back of the stone building.

"Guys, I think something is wrong," Tony said.

Clint ignored the comment and kicked the door in. He pulled his bow tight and nocked an arrow. He wildly looked around for any sign of life.

"Clint, she's not here," Steve said softly.

Clint wheeled around frantically searching the room. Pinned up in the back was a sheet of paper. He walked closer and ripped the paper down. He let out a strangled cry and flung the paper down. He stormed out of the room leaving Tony and Steve.

Steve bent down and picked up the paper.

"What does it say?" Tony asked.

"You're move, Hawk," Steve read.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: let the fun begin! i want a lot of reviews before i post the next chapter!

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Chapter 7

(3 Days Later)

Natasha had a bad feeling. The pain in her back had not gone away. Instead it had spread around her belly and up her spine. It hurt to move. The baby rarely stayed still for more than an hour, meaning she barely got to sleep.

But today everything was worse. Natasha had woken up suddenly in a cold sweat. Her back clenched with pain causing her to groan. She looked up at the window, hoping to tell what time of day it was, but the snow had covered it up.

Anya quietly crept in and sat at the foot of the bed.

"You're awake," she said softly.

"What time is it?" Natasha asked her voice groggy.

"It's about noon," Anya answered.

Natasha groaned and tried to curl up more, but her belly prevented her.

"Are you okay?" Anya asked.

"I'm not sure anymore," Natasha admitted.

There was a silence between the two.

"I can't stay. Petrovitch is on edge today," Anya spoke up.

"Okay, I don't want you to get in trouble," Natasha answered nudging the girl with her leg.

Anya took the hint and got up. "Just try to rest," she said as she touched the door handle.

"Don't worry about me," Natasha whispered, giving her a small smile.

Anya exited the room and closed the door softly. Natasha heard the familiar click of the lock on the outside; reminding her there was no escape. She sighed and sat up slowly, wincing as her body protested the movement. She decided to stand after a moment and walked over to the sink. She splashed some cold water on her face and paused over the sink.

She let the water drip off her face as she gripped the metal sides she had to get her mind together.

In all these long months, she had lost sight of her mission. There was no way she could take down Petrovitch now, not in her condition.

And if Clint came and if he rescued her, she still would have failed the mission. S.H.I.E.L.D. would have her neck. There was no happy ending to this.

One hand drifted to her stomach, while the other supported her weight as she leaned over the sink.

Petrovitch had been right. She was a horrible mother. Either she would lose the baby to him and die or bring her home to chaos and no job. She had failed from the beginning. Assassins were not parents; they were killers which is what she was doing to her baby.

There was a sharp kick under her hand.

"I'm sorry, my little bird," Natasha whispered.

There was another hard kick followed by a surge of pain in her lower back. Natasha gritted her teeth and gripped the sink hard, turning her knuckled white. The pain died off letting her breathe. And then it was back again.

However, this time the pain was followed by a gush of fluid between her legs. Natasha's heart stopped. She didn't need a doctor to know what was happening. Her water had broken. She bowed her head and closed her eyes.

"Clint, please hurry," she whispered. "I need you."

* * *

The hum of the Quinjet's motors were the only noise he heard. Steve, Tony, Bruce, and Phil sat quietly; they had nothing to say. They had tried 12 locations in the last three days, each one having a note waiting for the archer…egging him on.

Bruce had decided to test another theory. Maybe the tracker's signal was bouncing off of other things. Petrovitch most likely was still oblivious to the tracker.

They had been going to supposed Red Room locations, which was what Petrovitch was playing off of. Either way, he knew they were looking.

These new coordinates were different from the other. These were less obvious and off in the middle of nowhere.

Phil lowered the jet near a thicket of trees. With the engines off the silence was deafening.

Clint unbuckled himself and walked over to the storage rack where his bow sat. Tony joined him and grabbed the case that held his suit. Steve slide on his mask and picked up his shield. Clint could hear the mechanical whirs of Tony's as he slipped on his glove and arm guard.

"I have a good feeling about this one," Phil said breaking the silence. He handed Tony, Steve, and Clint an earwig.

"It better be. I don't know how much more I can take of not finding her," Clint said.

"Let's head out," Steve said pressing the button that opened up the back doors.

Clint shivered as the cold air rushed in. His S.H.I.E. L.D. issued jacket did little to protect him. The three men reluctantly headed out in the cold wind and snow.

"It's literally straight ahead," Tony said through the earwig. The wind was howling, whipping up the fresh snow and flinging it against their bodies like frozen knives.

Once they reached the frozen metal door to the massive complex, there was hesitation.

Clint nodded to Steve, taking a deep breath and nocking an arrow. Steve brought his shield down on the lock, shattering it. He kicked open the door and quickly entered with Clint on his heels. Tony reacted quicker than the other two men. He charged his hand stabilizers and blasted the two guards that stood shocked. They flew back against the cinder block wall; their heads connecting with the wall with a sickening crack.

A loud alarm began to sound. Clint let a smile creep onto his face. This was it.

* * *

Natasha gasped as another contraction wracked her body. She had managed to make it to the bed finally. She buried her face in her pillow and tangled her hands in the blanket. The contractions were roughly 10 minutes apart. Once it passed, she groaned in frustration. This couldn't be happening…not now. She needed sleep, she needed strength; neither of which she had. She felt incredibly weak.

Suddenly the alarm began to blare, alerting them of an intruder. Her heart leapt; it was Clint.

* * *

Clint barreled his way through the guards with ease. He was glad that none of the girls had made an appearance.

"Cap, we need to find her room!" Clint yelled over the alarm.

"Cap go left, Hawk go right. I'll hold these guys off," Tony said blasting another guard down.

Steve nodded and headed off down the right hall. He paused, observing his surroundings.

"_Why do all the doors look the same?" _he sighed.

"Russia sucks, Cap," Clint said.

Clint headed to the left and began his search. By the fifth door he was beginning to get frustrated. However, the sixth door produced better results. He shattered the lock with one of his arrows and burst in.

A group of seven girls stood against the wall. Clint lowered his bow and took a step closer. The girl's pressed themselves closer to the wall as if they were trying to melt into it. Clint was appalled by the age range. None of them had to be older than 11 or 12.

"Easy, I'm not here to hurt you," Clint said calmly. He heard a string of Russian curse behind him causing him to whirl around and send an arrow flying into the chest of a guard. He heard the girls gasp in surprise.

"Are you Hawkeye?" a brunette girl asked cautiously taking a step forward.

Clint was shocked that a) the girl spoke English and b) she knew who he was.

"Yes," He answered keeping his guard up. Just because they were young didn't mean they couldn't kill him.

A small blonde girl no taller than his hip burst forward and wrapped her arms around his leg.

"I knew you would come," the girl said looking up at him. Clint couldn't help but melt in the girl's beautiful blue eyes.

"How do you know who I am?" he asked the brunette.

"Natalia has told us about you," she replied.

Clint's heart leapt at the mention of Natasha.

"Where is she?" he breathed.

"The next hall over, sixth door on the right," the brunette said.

"Cap, did you hear that?" Clint asked touching his ear.

"_Sixth door on the right, got it,"_ Steve answered.

"You're not alone?" the blonde asked.

"No, my team is helping rescue you all," he said remembering Natasha's request to bring the girls as well.

"Thank you," the brunette said smiling.

"Do you know where Petrovitch is?" he asked as the blonde let go of his leg.

"Yes, I'll take you to him. He will be heavily guarded," the brunette replied.

"Okay. Are there more of you?" Clint asked.

"There were, but we are all that is left," the brunette said softly.

Clint frowned, he didn't want to even think of what had happened to the others.

"_Hey Hawk, you better get moving. These guys just keep coming,"_ Tony said sounding out of breath.

"Oh come on, Stark. You getting sleepy?" Clint mocked.

"We'd better go," the brunette said.

Clint reached into his pocket and pulled out his GPS that led back to the jet.

"Have them follow this. It will lead them to my jet where they'll be safe," he said handing the girl the device.

"Coulson, what's the status on the second jet?" Clint asked.

"_Already here, I called it when you guys didn't come back. Fury was conveniently in the area,"_ Phil replied.

"I'm sending a group of six out to you," Clint said.

"_Roger,"_ Phil replied.

Clint nodded to the brunette who turned to the other girls. She relayed the instructions then joined Clint.

"Shall we?" she asked reaching down and pulling a knife out of her boot.

Clint chuckled; it was like being with a mini Natasha.

"We shall," he replied before nocking another arrow and following the girl out into the hallway.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: And here it is! the moment everyone has been waiting for... the baby and Clint vs. Petrovitch! :)

I'm expecting a lot of reviews for this one so don't let me down my lovely readers!

* * *

Chapter 8

Steve found the sixth door and knocked frantically, "Natasha!" he called out.

He heard a strangled cry followed by, "Steve!"

His heart pounded fast; she sounded hurt. He brought his shield down hard on the lock. He pushed the door open, his heart breaking slightly at the sight of her. He quickly crossed to her side, examining her body.

She was extremely pale and too thin for a pregnant woman. Her belly was swollen, but not as much as one would think for someone that was eight months along. Her eyes were puffy and red and tears streamed down her face.

"Tasha," he whispered, his hands hovering over her; afraid to touch her.

"Steve, is Clint here?" Natasha breathed, trying to sit up more.

She gasped in pain and began to fall back down, but Steve caught her.

"Yeah, he's here," Steve replied. He noticed that her body was burning up.

Natasha laughed and leaned up against Steve. He reached up and pulled the earwig out.

"Talk to him," he said handing it to her.

Natasha's face lit up slightly as she slipped the device into her ear.

"Hawkeye? Do you copy?" She asked wincing into Steve.

He took her hand in hers and gave it a small squeeze.

"_Tasha! Steve found you! I've got the girls out and the brunette and I are going after Petrovitch,"_ Clint replied.

"Her name is Anya," Natasha said.

"_Gotcha, Tasha tell Steve to get you out of here!"_ Clint said breathing heavily.

"He will, just hurry; someone had decided to make a surprise appearance," Natasha said.

"_The baby's coming!?" _Clint exclaimed.

"Yes," Natasha whimpered.

"_I guess she wouldn't be ours, Nat, if she didn't do this thing the hard way,"_ Clint said.

Natasha laughed, "That's true. Just hurry, my Hawk."

"_I will,"_ he replied.

Natasha handed the earwig back to Steve. She gasped suddenly and held his hand tightly.

"What's wrong?" Steve asked panicking.

"It's just a contraction," Natasha whispered slumping against his chest.

"Do you think you could walk?" he asked scooping up her surprisingly light body in his arms.

Natasha shifted her body and wrapped her arms around his neck. Steve could feel her belly pressed up against him. He briefly felt movement as he shifted his shield to where it protected her body.

"Stark, I'm coming out. Give me a hole," Steve said heading down the hall.

Natasha buried her face into Steve's shoulder as Tony expertly cut a path through the guards. Her body tensed as her sweaty skin met the freezing air.

"It's not far, just hold on," Steve murmured as he began his journey back through the snow.

* * *

Clint felt as if he was having déjà vu. Fighting with Anya was almost exactly like fighting with Natasha. It was freaky.

They moved together like they had fought together for years. Clint saw her knife get knocked out of her hand and he panicked. Out of improvisation he shot an arrow loosely into the air above her.

Anya reached up and snatched the arrow and whipped around, shoving it into the guard's throat. She yanked it back, blood splattering as she did. She wielded now both the knife and arrow. Clint smacked the guard behind him in the face with his bow. Anya skillfully dodged the punches the guards threw at her. She launched herself forward and swung her small body around the guard and up onto his shoulders. She gracefully twisted the man's neck and flipped back off of his falling body.

Clint stopped firing when the only one left to shoot was Anya.

"Who taught you to fight?" Clint asked trying to catch his breath.

"Natalia has been walking me through different moves. She is a great teacher," Anya said.

"You fight just like her," Clint said.

"Is that a bad thing?" Anya laughed handing him back the arrow.

"No, it will keep you alive," Clint replied.

Anya nodded, "He's in there." She motioned towards the final door.

Clint nodded and kicked the door in.

* * *

Steve finally arrived back at the jet with a shivering Natasha.

"Bruce! Open up!" Steve yelled.

The door of the jet opened up to reveal the doctor.

"Get inside," Bruce said ushering them in. Steve set Natasha down on the makeshift bed on the row of seats.

"I need to go back to help. You got this?" Steve asked brushing Natasha's hair out of her eyes.

"Yeah, we got her," Bruce assured him. Phil emerged from the cockpit and nodded to Steve.

"The girls are safely on the Helicarrier," he said.

"Good, I'll be back," Steve said before heading back out into the cold.

Bruce turned to Natasha and knelt down next to her.

"Hey, Nat. How you doing?" Bruce asked touching Natasha's forehead. She was most definitely running a fever.

"Everything hurts, Bruce," she whispered.

"Okay, you're going to have be a little more specific. I got to know where to look," Bruce said softly.

"My water broke about five hours ago. The contractions are about 6 minutes apart now," Natasha breathed. She grabbed Bruce's hand and squeezed as another contraction hit.

"Just breathe, Nat. In through your nose and out through the mouth," Bruce coached.

Natasha obeyed his instructions waiting for the contraction to end.

"I need to check how dilated you are," Bruce said holding her hand in both of his.

"I'll stay on this end," Phil said.

Bruce nodded and turned to the storage rack. Phil walked around to where he was in Natasha's sight.

"Hey I have an idea since we don't have a pillow," Phil said. He gently helped her sit up and slid into the seat underneath her head.

Natasha lay back down, her head now resting in Phil's lap. He brushed her hair back behind her ear and smiled.

"Better?" he asked.

"Much, thank you," Natasha replied closing her eyes and turning her head toward Phil's stomach.

Phil continued to stroke her hair and Bruce brought supplies over to where he could reach them more readily.

"I need you to, um, take your pants off," Bruce said rubbing his neck nervously.

Natasha nodded and began to maneuver them down her legs. Phil shrugged off his jacket and handed it to Natasha.

"So you can cover up," he said helping her drape it over her knees. Phil had seen her naked before, mainly because he had walked in on her and Clint, but this was a very personal matter.

Bruce pulled on a pair of rub gloves and knelt down between her legs. Natasha closed her eyes trying to block out the situation.

"Okay, you're going to feel some pressure and I'm sorry everything is so cold," Bruce explained.

"Have you done this before?" Natasha asked quickly.

"Yes, I have," Bruce answered.

Natasha tensed up as Bruce began to examine her. Phil stroked her hair, "Hey remember that time Barton pegged Fury with the Nerf dart?" he asked trying to distract her.

Natasha gave him a small laugh, "Right in the eye patch."

"Yeah, it was great." Phil said.

"Okay, I'm done." Bruce said gently touching Natasha's calf.

She straightened her legs back out, keeping herself covered up with Phil's jacket.

"You're about seven centimeters dilated," Bruce explained pulling off his gloves.

"What does that mean?" Natasha asked shifting to where she was laying on her side.

"It means that it's getting close to the time to push," the doctor said giving Natasha an apologetic look.

"Oh, okay," Natasha whispered nuzzling Phil's leg.

Bruce pulled off his jacket and draped it over Natasha's shoulders. "It's going to be okay," he said.

* * *

"And so the Hawk swoops in," Petrovitch said taking a deep drag of the cigar he held.

Clint tightened his grip on his bow. "Of course," he growled.

"And now we meet. You are the one that took my prize girl away from me and I see that you have picked up another," Petrovitch said motioning to Anya who stood in Clint's shadow.

"You talk as if they are your pets. They are humans," Clint said.

Petrovitch laughed, "Are you a hero, Agent Barton?"

"I am no hero. I am just a man who knows what you are doing is sick and cruel," Clint hissed.

"You are a liar and killer; just like the rest of us," Petrovitch said taking another hit off of the cigar.

"And I will kill you," Clint said.

Petrovitch took one last drag before snuffing it out, "Then kill me."

Clint quickly released an arrow and was surprised to find Petrovitch dodge it. The man leapt to his feet and ran at Clint, tackling him around the legs. Clint felt his quiver dig into his spine and Petrovitch put his entire weight on him.

The Russian's thick fingers wrapped around Clint's neck and began to squeeze. Clint gasped for air, desperately clawing at his hands.

"That child is mine. She will make a great assassin," Petrovitch hissed tightening his grip.

Out of nowhere, Anya ran at full speed knocking Petrovitch off of Clint. Clint sucked in a deep breath as Anya distracted Petrovitch. He scrambled to his bow and quickly loaded an arrow. He saw Petrovitch kick Anya hard in the stomach, sending her flying back.

Clint yelled and released the arrow at Petrovitch before running to Anya's side. He knelt next to the young girl, gently turning her over.

"Anya! Anya!" Clint breathed. The girl's eyes fluttered open. "Oh, thank god," Clint sighed.

"Did you get him?" She croaked.

Clint looked back over his shoulder. He saw his arrow protruding from Petrovitch's skull and a pool of blood forming.

"Yeah, I got him." Clint said. Tony and Steve came running in.

"Come on, we need to go!" Tony said.

"Right, Steve she's hurt, can you carry her?" Clint asked turning to the Captain.

"Of course, you go ahead of us. We'll take care of this," Tony said.

Clint nodded and grabbed his bow. He nodded to Anya and took off out the door.

* * *

Natasha whimpered as another contraction hit. She buried her face into Phil's leg, squeezing his knee tightly.

"Bruce, is there anything you can give her?" Phil asked wiping Natasha's forehead with the damp cloth.

"I've given her all the pain meds I can give her," Bruce said. "Natasha, I need to check you again."

Natasha moaned and rolled over on to her back. She propped her legs up and closed her eyes.

Bruce slipped on his last pair of gloves and examined her again.

"Natasha, it's time. I can see the top of the head," Bruce said.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no! I can't, not yet! Clint isn't here! He needs to be here!" Natasha exclaimed panicking. She pushed herself up into a sitting position and tried to wiggle away from Bruce. She cried out in pain and collapsed against Phil.

"Hey, easy Nat. You need to calm down. It's going to be okay," Phil said rubbing her arm reassuringly.

"NO! It's not going to be okay! I'm not ready to be a mother! I am not a mother! I can't do this! I can't do this!" Natasha sobbed.

"I don't want to hear any of that crap, Natasha. You CAN do this. You will be a great mother," Phil said firmly.

"No…I can't. I don't know how to keep someone alive. All I know how to do is kill," Natasha whimpered.

"Hush, you know how to keep someone alive. This baby being here is obvious proof of that. You kept this baby alive while you were in living hell. You can do this," Phil pressed.

Natasha choked back a sob and buried her face into Phil's shoulder.

"Natasha, we really need to start pushing," Bruce said noticing that she had tensed up again.

Natasha shook her head in protest. Bruce looked to Phil for help, only getting a sigh in return. Bruce took a deep breath and propped Natasha's legs back up. He made sure that his body was blocking any view of Natasha from the door.

"Okay, Natasha. I need you to take a deep breath and push on the count of three. One…two…" Bruce was cut off by a blast of cold air from the opening of the back door.

Clint stumbled in, practically flinging his bow and quiver into the other seats. He collapsed next to Natasha, taking her face in his hands. He gave her a deep kiss followed by peppering smaller kisses on her face.

"I'm here, Tasha. I'm here." He whispered stroking her hair.

"You found me," Natasha sobbed.

Clint laughed, "I will always find you."

(Okay sooooo I have been watching way too much Once Upon a Time...I love this line though...:))

"I hate to interrupt the reunion, but we really need to start pushing." Bruce said.

"Clint, you should take my place." Phil said.

The handler and archer carefully switched places. Natasha sunk back into Clint's embrace.

"Okay, Natasha on the count of three. One…two…three…push," Bruce instructed.

Natasha took a deep breath and pushed, groaning as she did so. Clint held her hand tightly and kissed her neck softly.

"Okay good. Now breathe," Bruce said.

Natasha gasped and breathed heavily.

"Again. One… two… three…push," Bruce said again.

Natasha felt as if her body were on fire. The pain below was too much. She couldn't understand what Bruce was saying anymore because her heart was pounding in her ears.

"I can't do this," she moaned buried her face in Clint's shoulder.

"Yes, you can! You are doing so good, Tasha," Clint said kissing the top of her head.

"It hurts too much," she whispered.

"Natasha, Clint is right. You are making great progress," Bruce said.

"No! No more! I can't do this!" Natasha protested.

"Hey, hold on. Give me your hand." Bruce said.

"What? Why?" Natasha asked.

"Just trust me," Bruce sighed.

Natasha held her hand out for him and sat up slightly. Bruce brought her hand down in between her legs and placed it on something slippery.

"That is your baby's head. See? That's why you need to keep pushing; for the baby," Bruce said softly.

Natasha pulled her hand away and took a deep breath. She mentally counted to three and started to push again.

Bruce smiled up at Clint who mouthed his thanks.

It seemed to carry on for hours. Natasha had lost the count of how many times she had pushed.

"Okay, just a few more." Bruce said.

"You said that last time!" Natasha snapped.

"Okay, I'm serious two more."

Natasha glared at him and pushed as hard as she could. She groaned and pushed back against Clint in frustration.

"One more, Tasha, just one more," Clint whispered in her ear.

She closed her eyes and breathed deeply. One more push; that was all it took. She softly counted to three and then pushed with all the energy she had left. She let out a cry as the pressure finally subsided. She slumped defeated against Clint, who mumbled rapid words of praise and love.

Natasha's heart stopped; there wasn't cry. Her eyes flew open and she looked to Bruce in panic.

"Bruce?" she breathed.

And then there was cry; a high pitched beautiful cry of a baby. Bruce laughed and held the baby up carefully over Phil's coat.

"It's a girl," Bruce announced.

Natasha half laughed, half sobbed as she looked at her daughter for the first time.

"Phil, I could use a hand," Bruce said.

"Okay, what do you need?"

"Grab that shirt there; it's all that we have to put her in."

Phil grabbed the t-shirt and held it out for the baby to handed to him. Bruce gently set the wailed infant down and turned to clamping and cutting the cord. Once that was done, Phil covered the baby up and turned to Natasha who was crying.

"Here you go, Momma," Phil said setting the baby down in Natasha's arms.

Natasha was speechless as she stared down at the itty bitty baby in her arms.

"She's so tiny," she managed to squeak.

"She's premature, but her lungs and heart are strong." Bruce explained.

Natasha nodded. "Clint, look at her."

"I am," he choked out touching his daughter's cheek with his fingertip.

Natasha put her legs down with the okay from Bruce and moved the baby to a more comfortable position.

The back door opened once more and Tony, Steve, and Anya stumbled in. They closed the door quickly and turned back to face the others.

"Damn it! We missed it!" Tony exclaimed taking off his suit.

Anya limped forward and peered over into Natasha's arms.

"You can come closer, it's okay," Natasha said.

Anya stepped closer and observed the baby. "Is it a girl?" Natasha nodded. "She's cute, I like the red hair."

Clint laughed, "I agree with that one."

Phil slipped into the pilot's seat and started up the jet. "Buckle up everybody. Let's go home."

* * *

A/N: Voila! Now bring on those reviews! I want to know what you guys thought! Your feedback is encouraging!


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: holy moley! I broke 100 reviews with that last chapter! You have no idea how happy I am! I mean I read other authors on here who have over 300 reviews and to know my little story has a hundred is just wow.

Now here is the game plan...

there is only one chapter after this one (i know sad) but both are pretty lengthy. After this story is complete I will be posting a series of one shots that follow after is story and lead up to the next one.

In total there are four stories plus the one shot collection soooo I hope that is okay.

I know you guys want me to do a lot of follow chapters after this, but i just didnt want to end up rambling.

The one shot collection has stories for everyone from this universe. The first few and all about Clint, Natasha, and the baby then i go on to Steve, Bruce, Tony, and Thor.

I hope everybody stays with me that long :)

well im done with my rambling for now so enjoy this chapter!

Oh! I almost forgot! Just a slight warning for this chapter... Natasha is learning the ropes of being a mommy so that means shes got to learn how to feed the little one. So if you are offended by breastfeeding im just warning you. (Its at the end of the chapter)

* * *

Chapter 9

To everyone's surprise the newborn stayed quiet for the entire ride back to the Helicarrier. She would make an occasional gurgle or small cry, but that was it. She was perfectly content in Natasha's arms, staring up with wide eyes at her parents.

"We're five minutes out," Phil warned.

"Guys, I need pants," Natasha said.

"I'm on it," Clint replied, shifting Natasha so he could stand up.

"I need one of you to hold her," Natasha said looking at the other.

Anya shook her head no while she held her ribs. Bruce pretended to be absorbed in gathering his supplies back up. It was Tony who spoke up.

"I got her," he said unbuckling and walking over to them.

Natasha gave Tony a cautious look as she passed the infant off. Tony fumbled for a moment trying to position the baby in his arms causing her to whine in discomfort.

"Easy, Baby Bird, I'm working on it," Tony mumbled. He finally got he situated right and sat back down.

Natasha's eyes didn't leave the billionaire for one second. The jet hit a bout of turbulence, jostling its riders. The baby was startled by the sudden movement combined with the new holder. Her small whimper quickly turned to a full blown cry. Natasha tensed at the sound. Clint winced as her fingers dug into shoulder as he helped her pull on her underwear and pants.

"Guys can you do something?" Clint asked.

Tony struggled to calm the baby; rocking her frantically. Steve decided to intervene and took the tiny baby into his own arms. She shifted her to where she was laying vertical against his chest, right above his heart. He gently bounced her and stroked her back making sure her small body was still wrapped up. The baby began to calm and eventually fall silent again, content with Steve holding her.

"Nice job, Cap," Tony said rubbing his neck in embarrassment.

"It just seemed logical. I've never actually held a baby," Steve explained.

Natasha smiled and sat down slowly, holding her stomach in pain. "It was a good move," she said as Clint joined her.

There was the familiar thunk of touching down on the Helicarrier's deck, followed by the silencing of the engines. The back door opened up to reveal Director Fury and two medical staff, one male and one female.

Fury boarded the jet and went immediately to Natasha. He knelt down in front of her and frowned.

He touched her hand, "It's good to see you," he said softly.

Natasha nodded giving him a weak smile. Fury stood back up and motioned for the medical staff as he left the jet.

One helped Natasha into a wheelchair and the other practically snatched the baby from Steve. Natasha's eyes watered as she heard her daughter's screams as she was carried away.

"What? Where are they going?" she asked panicking.

"The child is going to be examined to make sure it is healthy," the medical man said as he wheeled her out of the jet.

Natasha panicked, she made a move to get up out of the chair making all of the Avengers stand up and rush to her side.

"No! No! She needs me!" Natasha sobbed as Clint caught her.

He set her back down in the chair and kissed her quickly on the lips.

"I'll go with her," he mumbled meeting his wife's gaze. Natasha nodded and watched him run after the woman that held their daughter.

She couldn't stop the tears from flowing; exhaustion finally getting the best of her. She buried her face in her hands trying to muffle the sounds as she was pushed through the Helicarrier to the infirmary. She felt herself being stripped of her clothes, clothes in a hospital gown, and hoisted onto the bed. A bright light flicked on causing her to wince.

Immediately, there were hands all over her; poking, prodding, touching. It was too much.

"STOP IT!" She yelled batting away the hands. "JUST STOP IT!"

"HEY! You heard the Lady, stop it!" Phil yelled as he walked into the infirmary.

Natasha sobbed in relief at the sight of her handler. He crossed to her side and pulled her into his arms, holding her tight against his chest.

"Shh, it's okay. Let's try this slowly, okay? One doctor that's all," Phil whispered.

Natasha nodded, reluctantly backing out of his arms. Phil motioned for the one female doctor on hand and gave Natasha a comforting smile. He stayed by her side; silent through the while exam.

Natasha kept her eyes closed the entire time. She felt the prick of a needle on her forearm causing her to tense momentarily. There was another prick on her left his arm, this time in the crook of her elbow. She opened her eyes slowly and panicked at eh sight of an IV being hooked up.

"No drugs! I don't need them! I'm fine!" she exclaimed trying to claw at the needle.

"Hey, hey, hey, easy. It's not drugs, it's fluids and nutrients. You're severely dehydrated and slightly malnourished," Phil explained grabbing her hand.

"They fed me!" she snapped.

"Not enough though. You gave most of it, if not all, to the baby," the doctor said hanging the IV bag and taking her leave.

Natasha groaned and sunk back into the pathetic excuse of pillows.

"I want my baby," she murmured closing her eyes once more, trying to hold back the gathering tears.

"I know, I know, Clint is with her," Phil said softly. "Just rest, you need it." He pulled one of the blankets up over her, carefully avoiding her left arm.

"No," Natasha moaned even though sleep was already taking over.

* * *

Clint followed the wails of his daughter down the twisty corridors of the Helicarrier. Once he reached the room that he realized was the intensive care unit, he panicked. There were so many doctors, so many machines, and in the middle of it all was his small baby.

Clint tried to elbow his way past the first few nurses, but he was only pushed back.

The baby's cries became louder and Clint's heart beat faster.

"Sir, you can't be in here," one male doctor said pushing him back.

Clint shoved his hands away, "That's my daughter. I'm not going to leave her alone!" he yelled.

"We understand, sir, you just can't be in here right now," the doctor continued.

"Like hell I can't," Clint growled punching the doctor square in the face. The doctor stumbled back holding his face. Clint pushed his way through the doctors forcefully till he reached the baby.

She was screaming her head off, her face a violent shade of red. He batted the doctor's hands away and scooped the baby up in his arms. He held her against his chest like

Steve had done and ran his hand up and down her back trying to soothe her. To Clint's relief she began to calm down.

"What is going on here?" Fury asked from the doorway. The doctors parted, making a path to Clint.

The director walked towards Clint. He paused and stared down at the archer.

"What are you doing?" he asked folding his arms across his chest.

"She was screaming, sir. They were frightening her. They were not handling her like she is baby, sir," Clint said meeting the Director's gaze.

Fury sighed, knowing that the archer would not back down.

"Okay, all of you are going to work with Agent Barton," Fury said. "I'm going to debrief you and Romanoff later," he added quietly before exiting.

"Okay, one doctor. That's all she needs," Clint said. An elderly man stepped forward and motioned for the rest to leave. Clint recognized the man for some reason.

Once it was just the three of them left, the man spoke up.

"You can lay her here," he said softly motioning to the exam table. He laid out a blanket on top of the cold metal surface and smiled at Clint.

Clint slowly set the baby down. She whimpered a little, but calmed when she determined Clint wasn't leaving.

"You fit the role of overprotective father perfectly," the doctor said as he listened to her heart.

Clint chuckled, "This is the first time I've even got to be with her. I've spent months terrified I was going to lose her and now that she's here I don't want to let her go."

"There is nothing wrong with that. Her heart is strong and lungs are good. I was the same with my daughter," the doctor said.

Clint smiled and touched his daughter's hand. She wrapped her tiny fist around his finger and held on tight.

"Have I met you before? You seem familiar," Clint said.

The doctor laughed, "Yes we have met. I was the one that operated on your partner after she got shot. And if I would have to guess, that partner is the mother."

"Yeah, she is. I remember you coming out and telling me she was going to make it. I think I hugged you," Clint laughed.

"You did. I'm happy to give you good news again. Your daughter is healthy. She is a little underweight, but she'll gain some quickly," the doctor said.

Clint beamed at him, "Thank you."

"Now, how about some father lessons?" the doctor said pulling off his glvoes.

"Father lessons?" Clint questioned.

"Yes, first she needs a bath," the doctor said.

"Okay, but first what is your name?" Clint asked.

"It's Henry,"

"You can call me Clint," Clint said.

"Okay, Clint, bring her over here in the blanket."

Clint complied and followed Henry to the sink.

"For now, you can only use water because her skin is so sensitive," Henry explained turning on the sink. He tested the water, then wet a cloth, handing it to Clint.

Clint gently began to wipe away the filth on her tiny body.

"Good, now let's wrap her up," Henry said once Clint finished.

They walked back to the table where henry gave Clint a fresh blanket and a tiny diaper.

"They had diapers on here?" Clint asked in disbelief.

"Yes, agents have rescued babies before and S.H.I.E.L.D. quickly learned to be prepared," Henry explained.

"Okay, show me what to do,"

"Open up the diaper and pick up her legs. Slip the back under her, pull the top down and connect the sides with the straps. Perfect!" Clint smiled pleased with his work.

"Now this is a great skill for when she gets fussy. It's called swaddling. Pick her up for a moment if you don't mind," Henry began.

He laid out the blanket to where it resembled a diamond shape. "First you fold down the top about this far. Place her to where her shoulders are just below the straight part you folded down. Good. Now take the left side and fold it across her body, tucking it behind her back. Do the same to the right. Take the bottom and wrap it back around her, but make sure there is room for her to move her legs freely." Henry instructed.

Clint finished and turned to Henry for approval.

"Great job," Henry praised.

Clint picked up the baby and cradled her in his arms.

"Now, go see momma. I'm sure she's worried sick," Henry said.

Clint smiled and turned towards the exit. He paused for a moment and turned back to

Henry. "Thank you for, you know, the lessons."

"From one father to another," Henry replied.

* * *

Tony dramatically plopped down into one of the chairs around the meeting table. Steve and Bruce joined him, but minus the drama. Anya took a seat as well and nervously fiddled with her hands.

Fury tapped the screen on the table and brought up the Council. Four shadowed figures appeared on the massive screen at the back of the meeting room.

"The Council recognizes the Avengers," the woman said.

"Who wants to start?" Fury asked taking a seat.

Steve cleared his throat, "I will, sir,"

"Captain Rodgers, would you care to explain why the Avengers chose to directly disobey protocol and travel to Russia to retrieve Agent Romanoff?" the woman asked.

"She was going to die, you idiot," Tony snapped.

"I did not realize Mr. Stark spoke on behalf of Captain Rodgers," one man said.

Steve opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by Tony.

"Captain Rodgers would only make this situation appear the way you want it to; as a mission that was disrupted. But it's not like that! It is nothing like that. The problem is is that you sent Agent Romanoff to die," Tony exclaimed.

"Excuse me, Mr. Stark, that is a harsh accusation," the woman said.

"It's not an accusation, it's the truth! You sent her into an incredibly dangerous situation alone. You people didn't even check to see if she was fit for the assignment!" Tony continued.

"Agent Romanoff was more than capable of completing the mission," the man began.

"No! She was not! YOU choose to skip protocol as well and forego the usual medical evaluations and sent her directly to Russia after the Battle of New York!" Tony yelled.

"And where exactly is Agent Romanoff at this time? Why is she not present for this debriefing?" the woman asked, anger present in her tone.

"She is in the infirmary," Bruce spoke up.

"And what exactly is her condition, Dr. Banner?" the woman pressed.

"She is recovering from the birth of her daughter, ma'am," Bruce explained.

"She gave birth?" one man asked in disbelief.

"Yes, she was pregnant before she was sent to Russia. In regard to her file stating she was unable to conceive, this was a major error. In all reality this was a miracle and more than likely she will not be able to get pregnant again," Bruce explained.

"I ask that the Council does not fire Agent Romanoff," Steve said.

"She has broken her contract. We have no other choice," the woman said.

"Then allow her to continue to be an Avenger, both her and Agent Barton," Steve said,

"How is Agent Barton involved?" a man asked.

"He is Agent Romanoff's partner, husband, and father of her child," Fury explained.

"So he has broken his contract as well," the man stated.

"Yes, but both Agents will remain Avengers because letting them go would be stupid ass decision," Fury said.

The woman sighed, "Very well, Agents Romanoff and Barton will remain Avengers, but will no longer be S.H.I.E.L.D. agents."

"On another note, was the mission successful?" the man asked.

"Yes, this young lady is living proof," Steve said motioning to Anya, who sunk down into her chair.

"Petrovitch is indeed dead," Tony said sensing the girl's fear.

"And once again, murders are brought into S.H.I.E.L.D. as if they were simply stray dogs," the woman hissed.

"They are not dogs! They are lost, orphan children who have been abused and force to perform duties at the hand of Petrovitch," Steve growled.

"And what do you suggest we do with these orphans?" the woman asked.

"You WILL find them safe homes where they can live as normal children. The Avnegers will take in the youngest girl and this young lady here. Both had made a connection with Agent Romanoff, so why break that bond?" Steve said.

"And who will be these two girls legal guardians? A group of people cannot be deemed guardians," one man asked.

"I will take in this young lady," Bruce said surprising everyone.

"I will be the other girl's guardian," Steve said smiling at the doctor.

"Very well, Director Fury will oversee this. Meeting adjourned." The man said. The screen went black.

"You wish to adopt me?" Anya asked turning to Bruce.

"If you would like me to. I would be happy to give you a place to call home; where you can feel safe," Bruce said smiling at the girl.

Anya beamed, "I would like that very much!"

"Director Fury, I would like to take all of the girls back to Stark Tower for the time being," Tony said standing up.

"Let's go work that out, Dr. Banner would you join us?" Fury said.

Bruce nodded and got up, both him and Anya following them out of the room.

Steve sighed. He should go with them too. He should meet the little girl he had just agreed to adopt. His heart was racing. He knew nothing of being a father figure. His own father had been a way as a soldier as he grew up. He stood up and took a deep breath, deciding to follow the others.

* * *

Natasha slowly opened her eyes wincing at the bright lights of the infirmary. As the room came into focus she turned her head to where Phil had been sitting. But he was no longer there.

The chair was now occupied by Clint who was humming a soft tune to the baby in his arms.

"Hey," she croaked her throat painfully dry.

Clint's head snapped up and he grinned.

"Hey," he said getting up. He walked over to her and sat down on the side of the bed. "How are you doing?" he asked.

"I need water," she said.

Clint nodded and reached for the cup on the table next to her. Natasha took the water and sipped it gratefully.

"How is she?" she asked.

"She's perfect, Nat. The doctor said she's a little underweight, but it's nothing to worry about." Clint explained.

"Can I hold her?" Natasha asked.

"Of course," Clint replied taking the cup and gently setting the baby down in Natasha's arms.

The baby whined at the shift, but settled back down. However, she started to whimper again and turned her head towards Natasha's chest.

"Clint," Natasha said her voice wavering.

"What's wrong?" he asked scooting closer.

"I think she's hungry. I don't know what to do," Natasha said her eyes beginning to water.

"Hold on, I'll get the doctor," Clint said sprinting out of the room.

The baby whined some more and began to squirm in Natasha's arms.

"Shh, I know. We're hurrying." Natasha whispered rocking her.

Clint reappeared with an elderly looking man in tow.

"Okay, let's take that IV out so you can hold her better," the man said.

"This is Henry. He's the one that checked her out," Clint explained.

Henry removed the needle and placed a band aid over the puncture hole.

"Now, you need to open up one side of the gown," Henry instructed.

(This is where the whole breastfeeding part begins...just warning you)

He picked up the baby out of her arms to allow her to move easier. She did as she was told, feeling a little awkward with her breast exposed.

"Now, babies have an automatic reflex to feed. Just touch the side of her cheek and she'll open her mouth and start to suck," Henry continued.

He placed the baby back in Natasha's arms. Natasha softly touched her daughter's cheek and sure enough she opened her mouth.

"Latching on properly is important. If she latches on wrong it can be very painful for you," Henry said.

Natasha nodded and lifted the baby up a little higher allowing her to latch on her breast. She winced as the baby sucked hard. She pulled her away getting a whine of disappointment from the baby.

"It's okay, try again," Henry encouraged softly.

Natasha repeated the motion, but didn't raise her up so high. This time there was no pain and her daughter suckled happily.

"See? It just takes practice. Once she's done just put her against your shoulder to where she is looking over it and pat her back gently to burp her. I'll let you two be alone," Henry said before leaving.

Natasha looked down at her daughter and smiled. Clint sat back down on the bed and touched Natasha's knee.

"You're amazing, you know that?" he whispered.

Natasha snorted softly, "Do explain."

"You carried her, gave birth to her, and you can feed her just with your body. I can't do that," Clint explained.

"You shouldn't be jealous. It hurt like hell," Natasha laughed.

"Hahaha, very funny," Clint laughed.

The baby let go of Natasha's breast and looked up at her expectantly.

"Okay, I get it. You want more," Natasha said shifting her to her other arm. She shifted the gown; covering one breast and revealing the other. The baby latched on right the first time and hungrily sucked.

"We need to name her, Tasha," Clint said after a moment.

Natasha stroked her daughter's soft red hair. She hadn't thought of names.

"Any ideas?" She asked.

"One," he said reaching out and touching the baby's arm.

"And what would that be?" Natasha asked looking up at Clint.

The two met each other's gaze.

"Lucy… it means 'light'" Clint said. "She's our light."

"Lucy Barton," Natasha tested. "Lucy Charlotte Barton," She said.

"Charlotte?" Clint asked.

"Yeah, it's pretty."

"Lucy Charlotte Barton…I like it," Clint agreed leaning over and giving Lucy a kiss on the top of her head.

Natasha smiled, "Our little bird."

* * *

a/n: voila! The little one is named Lucy :) I personally love that name. I hope you agree :)

dont forget to review!


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Well here we are! The final chapter of this story. I will post on here once the first one shot is ready :)

dont forget to review!

* * *

Chapter 10

After some negotiation and rounding up of the curious girls, Director Fury and Tony managed to get all of the girls plus Steve, Bruce and Anya onto a Quinjet headed back to the Tower.

Phil managed to convince the doctors that Natasha and Lucy were good and allowed them to leave as well. The small family and Phil took their own jet back to the Tower.

The girls piled onto the couch on the meeting floor, while Natasha and Clint took refuge on their own floor.

Natasha happily sunk down into the armchair with Lucy in her arms.

"Are you hungry?" Clint asked.

"Eh, not really," Natasha shrugged.

"Okay, what do you want to do? Nothing too active, you did just have a baby," Clint said.

"We don't have a crib… we don't have anything for her," Natasha whispered looking down at the sleeping baby.

"We'll get her stuff, don't worry," Clint reassured his wife.

"I know, it's just overwhelming. I mean we have a baby, Clint." She said.

"A beautiful baby," Clint said.

Natasha chuckled, "She is beautiful. Just where is she going to sleep tonight? She can't sleep with us."

"I'll run out and get a crib. I'm sure Pepper will help you out for a little bit," Clint suggested.

Natasha nodded, "Sounds like a plan."

"JARVIS could you have Miss Potts come up here?" Clint called out.

"Of course, Agent Barton," JARVIS replied.

A few moments later the elevator dinged and Pepper walked out.

She knelt down next to Natasha and pulled her into the best hug she could manage with the baby in her arms.

"It's good to see you, is this her?" Pepper said.

"This is Lucy," Natasha said looking from the red head to the baby.

"Could you hang out with her while I go get some stuff?" Clint asked.

"Of course, I would love to," Pepper said.

Clint gave Natasha a quick kiss on the lips and then a quick kiss on Lucy's head. "I'll be right back."

Clint didn't want to leave the two of them, but Lucy needed a bed. There was no way he was going to be able to carry all of the stuff they needed alone.

By pure coincidence, Steve wandered into the elevator.

"Hey, you up for a shopping trip?" Clint asked.

"Um, I was going to go meet Lida, but I guess that can wait," Steve replied.

"Naw, bring her with us! I'm sure she'll have fun," Clint suggested.

The elevator door opened up to the meeting floor where the two men stepped off. All of the girls were piled on the couch sharing bowls of popcorn, each one glued to the TV screen.

"I thought a movie night would be good for the girls. It's certainly distracting them while I find blankets and pillows for later." Tony said as he walked up to the two.

Clint craned his neck around the billionaire to see what movie was playing.

"So you put in _Lord of the Rings_?" Clint asked rolling his eyes.

"I don't have any kid's movies. Plus they love Gandalf." Tony protested.

"And you get to deal with them when he dies at the end," Clint pointed out.

"Oh god, I didn't think about that," Tony mumbled.

Steve chuckled and turned to Clint, "You want to get her?"

Clint nodded, "Hey Lida, could you come here?"

The small blonde jumped up from the couch and skipped over to where they stood. "Yes, Mr. Hawk?" she said swaying on her spot.

Clint crouched down to her level, "You see that guy right there?" Lida nodded. "Well he is one of my good friends. I think you'll like him a lot. So how about you come hang out with the two of us. We could use your help with something,"

"You need MY help?" Lida asked excitedly.

"Yes, ma'am, we need to go get some things for the new baby and we need someone to help us pick out things that a baby girl would like," Clint explained.

"That sounds like fun!" Lida smiled brightly up at Steve.

Clint stood up and nodded to Steve. Lida walked up to the Captain and took his hand into her little one.

"What's your name?" she asked.

"It's Steve," Steve managed to choke out. The little girl was just a bundle of cute.

"Come on Steve," Lida said pulling him towards the elevator.

Clint laughed, "Good luck Stark."

The three of them took one of Tony's many Audi cars and headed out. Clint had scoped out a Babies-R-Us store months ago, so he knew exactly where to go.

Once they walked in the massive store, the three of them froze. They had absolutely no clue where to begin.

"Does she have a bed?" Lida asked looking up to Steve.

"No, she doesn't." Steve replied.

"Then let's go find her a bed!" Lida exclaimed.

Clint grabbed a cart and hoisted Lida up into the back. They followed the signs that led them to the furniture section of the store. There were so many different kinds of just cribs. Ones that were just cribs, ones that converted into beds, ones that came with changing tables, the list went on and on.

"I like that one," Lida said pointing to a display of a crib that would later convert to a twin size bed.

It was a pretty crib. It was made of dark wood and had simple curve designs.

"Why that one?" Steve asked out of curiosity

"It's pretty." Lida said simply shrugging her shoulders.

Clint laughed, "Well that's a good enough reason for me." He picked up one of the boxes and slid it under the cart.

"Let's keep going," Steve chuckled pushing them onward.

Lida picked out a sheets set that had jungle animals on it. Her reasoning for the sheets was that they had birds on them. They continued on to the toy aisle where Lida went slightly crazy. The cart was soon full of different stuffed animals.

She found a stuffed elephant and practically fell in love with it.

"What you got there?" Steve asked Lida.

"It's an elephant," she whispered petting its head.

"You want the elephant? I can get it for you," Steve suggested.

Lida's face lit up, "Really?"

"Yeah! It's all yours," Steve said firmly. Lida flung herself at him and wrapped her arms around his legs, elephant still in hand.

Clint smiled at the two and began to head towards the register. The cashier gave them an odd look as she rung up the massive amount of items.

In total they had gotten: a crib, a mattress, three sheet sets, 5 different stuffed animals (each a different size), multiple receiving blankets, many different onesies and outfits, bibs, and a large quantity of diapers and wipes and of course one stuffed elephant.

And by some miracle they managed to shove it all into the Audi.

Once back at the Tower they shoved it all into the elevator and rode up to Clint's floor.

Lida tugged on the bottom of Steve's shirt to get his attention. "Can I stay with you?" she asked.

Steve smiled down at her, "Yeah you can."

Pepper and Natasha were still sitting where they had left them. At the sound of the elevator Natasha turned around in the chair. She stood up slowly and crossed to Clint.

She glanced down at the bags and boxes around his feet and raised an eyebrow, "Did we have fun?" she chuckled.

"Yes! Look what Steve got me, Natalia!" Lida exclaimed holding up the stuffed elephant.

"Wow, that was nice of him," Natasha said patting the girl on her head.

"I'm gonna stay with him too," Lida continued.

Natasha looked up at Steve questioningly.

"I adopted her," Steve explained.

"You're gonna adopt me?" Lida said looking up at Steve hopefully.

Steve knelt down to the little blonde's height. "If that's okay with you?"

Lida grinned and flung herself into Steve's arms. "I never had a papa," she whispered into his neck.

Steve hugged the little girl tightly, "I'll try." He picked her up in his arms and carried her back into the elevator. "Let's go get some of the popcorn," Steve said mouthing his thanks to Clint and Natasha.

"I'll go put this stuff in our room," Clint said gathering the bags up in his arms.

Natasha stifled a laughed as the archer stumbled as he attempted to balance the bags. She turned back to Pepper, ready to relieve her of Lucy.

"Go help him, I've got her," Pepper said waving her away.

Natasha smiled and turned around towards the box that was left. She managed to drag it to the doorway of their bedroom before Clint interfered.

"You shouldn't be picking up anything heavy, Tasha. I was going to go back for it," Clint said taking the box away from her.

"I'm not going to break just because I had a baby," Natasha huffed plopping down slowly in the middle of the bags.

She wouldn't admit it but she was incredibly sore.

"But knowing you, you're going to overdo it. I just want you to take it easy, okay?" Clint explained.

He knelt down next to her and gave her a quick peck on the cheek .

"Fine, don't get your feathers in a knot. I'll take it easy," Natasha agreed rolling her eyes.

Clint chuckled and kissed her again, "I missed you bird references." He stood up and walked towards the door. "I'll be right back. I need some tools."

Natasha nodded and looked down at the bags around her. In the first bag she found the stuffed animals. To her delight, each one looked pretty realistic. She hadn't wanted to take the baby concept too far.

She set them aside and turned to the next bag. This one held the sheets sets. She smiled at the patterns; feeling a theme beginning to grow. She tossed them over towards the baby mattress for later.

The next bag was the clothes and blankets. She touched the soft fabric, marveling at how tiny the garments were. Lucy would most definitely need more cloths than this but it was a good start. The receiving blankets were all a pale yellow with leafy green accents around the edges.

"Do you like them?" Clint asked dropping down next to the box.

"It's all great. We'll have to get some more things, but this is a good start," Natasha replied.

"Lida had a great time," Clint said ripping open the box.

"She's a great girl. I'm a little surprised Steve is adopting her," Natasha confessed.

Clint chuckled, "Steve will make a good father for her. It's strange that they actually look related. You know? The blonde hair and all."

The archer pulled out the instruction booklet and rubbed the back of his neck nervously. He looked from the directions then back to the box.

"Problem?" Natasha asked.

"Naw, I got this," Clint assured her.

He launched himself into assembling the parts, grumbling occasionally about the abundance of pieces.

Meanwhile, Natasha decided to put the mattress cover on along with a fitted sheet.

Slowly, but surely a crib began to take shape. Once he was finished, Clint dropped the mattress down into its spot and stepped back.

"I think Lida chose the right one," he said smiling at Natasha.

"Yes, she did," Natasha murmured getting up and wrapping her arms around Clint's neck, pulling him close.

He bent his head down resting it on her shoulder. He inhaled deeply relishing in her scent; a smell he had missed dearly. He slowly trailed kisses up her neck, pausing at her ear.

"I love you so much, Natasha," He whispered his warm breath making her shiver.

She turned her head to where their foreheads were touching.

"I love you too," she breather before capturing hi slips in a deep kiss.

Clint sighed into her mouth, happy to finally have her back in his arms safe.

A small cry from the living room caused them to break apart.

"I'll be back," Natasha whispered pulling out of his embrace.

Clint quickly picked up the bags and deposited them in the corner of the room for later. He shifted the crib to where it was closer to his side of the bed, so he could get to her easily.

Natasha came back with a whimpering Lucy in her arms.

"She's hungry; hold her for a moment so I can get situated," Natasha said.

Clint took Lucy into his own arms and held her close to his chest. Immediately, she took a fist full of his shirt in her tiny hand and held on tight. He watched Natasha prop the pillows up against the headboard and pull back the covers. She crawled up onto the bed and sat down, motioning for him to come over. She pulled her shirt off and unclasped her bra, leaving herself bare.

"Can you get me one of the blankets please?" Natasha asked as he set the baby down in her waiting arms.

Lucy hungrily latched on, making small slurping noises every so often. Clint brought one of the new blankets over and draped it over Natasha's bare side where Lucy wasn't feeding.

"I'm gonna change clothes. I didn't realize I went out looking like this," Clint said motioning to his dirty shirt that had a few blood splatters on it.

Natasha nodded and watched him retreat into the bathroom with fresh clothes in hand. She looked down at Lucy and gently stroked her soft hair. Lucy brought her hand up and placed it flat against her mother's breast. Natasha shivered at the contact. She brought her own hand up and touched the top of Lucy's.

The little girl's skin was amazingly soft. It was so new, so free of scars unlike her parents' skin.

Clint reemerged wearing lounge pants and a plain white undershirt. He sat down on his side of the bed as Lucy pulled away, apparently full.

"Will you burp her while I get cleaned up?" Natasha asked.

"Of course," Clint smiled taking Lucy. "Take as long as you want."

Natasha sighed; she got up and walked towards the dresser to retrieve new clothes.

"Tasha," Clint whispered as he patted Lucy's back. There was a small burp from the baby that interrupted the silence.

She knew what he was looking at. "It's nothing," she mumbled keeping her head down as she rummaged through the drawers.

Clint got up and walked over to where she stood. He cradled the baby in one arm and reached out with his other. He gently touched the large welts that spanned her back. Lucy whimpered and curled up against Clint, like she didn't want to see.

Clint knew what would leave these kinds of wounds. "Why?" was all he managed to was say to her.

"It would have been Anya. I couldn't let that happen," Natasha explained looking up at Clint. "I took the punishment for her."

Clint kissed her softly on the lips "I wish I could have taken it for you both."

Natasha gave him a weak smile and turned towards the bathroom. She closed the door quietly and crossed to the shower. She turned on the hot water and let the steam fill up the room as she stripped out of her remaining clothes. She stepped into the spray, moaning softly as the hot water loosened up the muscles in her back.

Tilting her head back, she wet her tangled mass of curls. She looked forward at the tiled wall, counting the tiles to occupy her mind. Her hands trailed down her body, pausing over her now empty abdomen. Her breath hitched in her throat. She stumbled back a few steps to where her back was flat against the cold wall and slid down to the floor. She brought a hand up to her mouth to stifle the small sob that bubbled up, keeping the other one on her abdomen.

'_The baby is safe',_ she kept repeating over and over in her head. All the worry of losing her washed over the new mother. While the knowledge that her daughter was safe, she still felt as if she was breaking on the inside.

She knew that there was no way she could get pregnant again; Bruce had told her. She would never feel the same closeness with her child again; being able to feel the baby's every movement had been a special experience. Now…now Natasha felt empty.

She hurriedly washed her body and hair, not caring that the scrubbing stung her skin. She slipped into her soft, clean pajamas and quickly towel dried her hair.

Natasha found Clint sitting alone on their bed. She could see Lucy sleeping on her back in the crib, easing Natasha's worries slightly.

Clint gave her a confused look, "That was fast."

"I…" Natasha started but she dissolved into tears as she crossed to the bed. She crawled up into Clint's open arms, burying her face into his chest.

"Oh, Nat, it's going to be okay. I'm here for you," he murmured rubbing her back.

"I don't know… how to… protect her now," Natasha sobbed.

"Don't worry, she'll be well protected. Who would dare harm her with the Avengers around?" Clint said.

Natasha half laughed half sobbed at his comment. "I guess you're right."

"Just sleep now. I've got my eye on both of my girls. You both are safe," Clint whispered giving her a kiss on the top of her head.

"What did I do to deserve you?" she mumbled.

"I ask myself the same question about you every day. Maybe we were just meant to be together to fix each other," he replied.

"You have fixed me," she said sleep heavy in her tone.

"You fixed me too, Tasha. More than you will ever know," Clint said leaning his head back against the pillows and closing his eyes.

* * *

Tony carefully tip toed around the girls, making sure each one had a blanket covering them. When he came to Anya, who was laying on the couch because of her bruised ribs, she stopped him.

"Thank you, Mr. Stark. You have idea what this meant to the girls. We have never gotten to do anything like this," Anya whispered.

"You can call me Tony. I'm glad that it made them happy. You girls deserve it," Tony replied patting her on her head.

"Good night, Tony," Anya whispered closing her eyes and pulling the blanket up to shoulders.

"Good night, Anya," Tony whispered back before finishing his check.

He came to one of the armchairs where Steve had fallen asleep with Lida and her stuffed elephant curled up in his lap. He carefully laid a blanket across the two before turning to Bruce who stood near the elevator.

"JARVIS, turn out the lights please, but make sure to leave the light in the hallway on dim setting." Tony whispered.

There was no response from JARVIS, but he did as he was instructed. The two men retreated into the elevator and pressed the buttons for their floors.

"I think today was a success," Bruce said.

Tony chuckled, "I guess so. The master assassins became parents, the super soldier became a dad and so did you big guy. I feel left out."

"Yeah, it's going to be interesting from now on. I'm a little worried about explaining the other guy to Anya," Bruce confessed.

"I'm sure she'll think it's awesome. She's a pretty badass little girl," Tony said.

The two men fell silent for a moment; the only sound being the elevator announcing they had arrived on Bruce's floor.

"I'll see you in the morning Stark," Bruce said as he exited. Tony gave him a small wave before heading up to his own floor.

He found the main part of his floor empty with no sign of Pepper. She was probably still helping Natasha with the baby…the baby, whose name he didn't know.

He toed off his shoes by the elevator and quietly padded over to the mantle. He reached up and picked up the first arc reactor he had made for the suit. Underneath it in the groove that was carved out to hold the reactor in place was the object he was searching for. He held up the diamond ring at eye level, examining it before slipping it into his pants pocket.

Tony turned around and headed down the hallway that led to his and Pepper's bedroom. He smiled when he found Pepper sitting on the bed in one of his t-shirts reading a book.

"Hey," he said tugging his shirt off over his head and tossing it into the hamper by his dresser.

"Hey," she replied looking up from her book for a moment to see him taking off his jeans.

Tony pulled out a clean undershirt and pants, pulling them on while secretly switching the ring into his pajama pants pocket.

He playfully hopped onto the bed causing Pepper to bounce slightly. He lay flat on his stomach with his head propped up on his elbows, looking up at her. Pepper marked her place and closed the book.

"Yes, Mr. Stark?" she said putting on her secretary voice.

"Why Ms. Potts, how is our new resident bird?" Tony asked.

"She's good. Natasha is exhausted and Clint may explode from excitement, but they are good," Pepper replied. She set the book down on the bed side table.

"What's the baby's name again?" Tony asked sitting up.

"It's Lucy. Lucy Charlotte Barton." Pepper said with a smile.

"Ah, Lucy in the sky with diamonds! Very nice," Tony said.

Pepper laughed, "I'm not sure they were thinking about the Beatles when they named her, Tony,"

"It's still a cute name," Tony said turning to where he could lay on his back with his head resting on the pillows.

"What you are doing is amazing Tony," Pepper said softly.

"Well, laying here is a very hard job to do," he mocked.

"Not that, you bringing the girls here to stay for now. You're surprisingly good with them," she said whacking him lightly on the chest.

"It's not that hard. I'm just being myself," Tony explained sitting back up.

"And that's what I love about you," Pepper whispered leaning forward and kissing him on the lips.

Tony smiled and gently pushed her away, "Pepper, I've been thinking."

"You thinking is never a good thing," she said.

"It's a good type of thinking. Ever since Barton and Romanoff got married and then when he found out about the baby; I was jealous in a way. I wanted the happy ending too. I'm not saying Natasha getting held captive in Russia while she was pregnant and The Hawk coming apart at the seams while we searched for her is romantic. But they got the happy ending in the end. I want that too," Tony said softly.

"Anthony Stark, if you are going to propose to me…" Pepper breathed.

Tony pulled out the ring from his pocket and held it up for her to see. "Well, that was sort of the plan." He said rolling his eyes.

Pepper launched herself into his arms, kissing him full on the mouth. She broke away leaving Tony breathless.

"I'll take that as a yes?" he whispered.

"Yes," she breathed.

Tony gave her a goofy grin as he slid the ring onto her finger. Pepper tackled him again capturing his lips once more. After a moment Tony started to laugh, causing Pepper to pull away.

"What's so funny?" she asked playfully swatting him.

"We are going to have one hell of a story to tell Thor when he gets back," Tony laughed.


	11. Author's Note

A/N: Okay this is just a notice to that my one shot series is up! Well the first one shot at least…

Remember these one shots follow directly after this story soooooo there are no huge time jumps really :)

I hope you all enjoy and thanks for the constant love and support!


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